Milwaukee committee holds Flock camera contract after public testimony and closed-session legal review

The Finance and Personnel Committee on May 29 considered a substitute resolution approving an agreement between the city and Flock Group Inc. to provide pole‑mounted automatic license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras. Alderman Scott Speicher, sponsor of the substitute resolution, said the committee’s review focuses on a narrow legal question in a contract amendment, while noting broader public concerns about surveillance are more properly addressed in other forums.

Public comment was extensive and split. Amanda Merkway, advocacy director at the ACLU of Wisconsin, told the committee she was concerned about transparency and data‑sharing: “The public deserves to know how it is being surveilled,” she said, and highlighted that records show the city has paid Flock Group for services and that the department’s SOP and contractual terms were not fully visible in open records responses. Merkway also cited reporting that Flock is developing a data product that could supplement ALPR data with commercially available data and raised concerns about access by federal agencies.

Business‑district leaders and local BID executives urged the committee to allow additional cameras in commercial corridors. Tara Cavazos, executive director of the South 27th Street Business District, said business districts funded two years of Flock leases and credited ALPRs with reducing stolen‑car incidents and assisting investigations: “This license plate reader takes a picture of an object, a car, a license plate,” she said, describing ALPRs as a tool to identify vehicles involved in retail and auto theft.

Other residents and advocates opposed expansion. Hibba Mohammed, a Milwaukee resident, said cameras do not prevent crime and warned that approving more devices would not substitute for investments in services. Justice‑system nonprofit representatives said they would monitor impacts on clients. Jason C. Haas, a registered lobbyist, said his client, a nonprofit that runs reentry services, was wary of further adoption but monitoring the matter.

Milwaukee Police Department staff said the department has an SOP governing ALPR use, provided camera locations to a local reporter when requested and that the devices cannot identify people; staff told the committee ALPRs have helped with auto theft and homicide investigations. Heather Haupp, MPD chief of staff, and another MPD representative reiterated that access to camera systems is restricted by policy and that the cameras read plates rather than faces.

Because the committee identified a competitive and bargaining legal question in the contract, members voted to go into closed session under Wisconsin statute to discuss that narrow contract issue. The committee reconvened in open session and then voted to hold the file to the call of the chair; the recorded floor action was a 4–1 vote to hold the substitute resolution for further counsel follow-up on contract terms.

Why it matters: ALPR networks create persistent vehicle‑movement records that civil‑liberties groups say can be used for broad tracking if data‑sharing rules and retention policies are weak. Business and neighborhood representatives said ALPRs are an important investigative tool against vehicle and retail theft. The committee’s decision to hold reflects competing concerns about public safety benefits, civil‑liberties risk, and unresolved legal/contractual terms.

What’s next: The committee will work with the city attorney and purchasing staff on the discrete contract issues discussed in closed session and expect to return the item to committee when counsel and purchasing staff are prepared. Separately, members indicated interest in a properly noticed policy file or ordinance if the council decides to consider citywide standards on surveillance technology and data sharing.