MILWAUKEE, WI - On Monday afternoon, August 31, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) and the mayor's office announced that the department has agreed to make several changes to its Flock camera system policies.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson's office said the mayor consulted with MPD Chief Jeffrey Norman and Fire and Police Commission Executive Director Lean Todd, and communicated with county officials, FOX 6 reported. Below are the changes Johnson insisted on, some of which he said the police department agreed to:
1. Access to Flock camera systems data was limited earlier this year. At my direction, MPD has agreed to further restrict access to this data. Only supervisors will be allowed to access Flock camera systems. No officers or detectives will be allowed access to these systems at this time;
2. The use of Flock cameras will be limited to Part I crimes, critical missing persons, drug trafficking organization investigations, and abductions only. Part I crimes only include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assaults (to include non-fatal shootings), burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson and human trafficking;
3. At my direction, MPD has agreed to create a publicly available dashboard providing the community information about the Department’s use of Flock camera technology;
4. MPD has agreed to further limit access to Flock cameras by restricting access to Milwaukee’s cameras only to MPD. This means that MPD Flock data will be strictly limited to MPD so that auditing and oversight is fully within its control;
5. In its oversight role, the Fire and Police Commission (FPC) has already initiated an audit of the Flock camera system and its use in the city. At my direction, the FPC Executive Director has agreed that semiannual independent audits of MPD’s Flock camera use will be conducted. I have requested that these results and shared directly with my office as an additional review of Flock camera use as well as provide public access to the findings; and
Johnson finished by saying his office will continuously monitor the use of Flock cameras on a regular basis. MPD later reiterated parts of the mayor's statement and said it agreed to the following:
1. Access to Flock technology has been further restricted to supervisors only;
2. Access to MPD’s Flock technology will be restricted to MPD only. We will no longer share data access with surrounding jurisdictions; and
3. The use of Flock technology will be limited to Part I crimes, critical missing persons, drug trafficking organization (DTO) investigations and abductions only. Part I crimes only include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assaults (to include non-fatal shootings), burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson and human trafficking.
Neither MPD nor the mayor's office specified a timeline for when any agreed-upon policy changes would take effect. The mayor himself does not have authority to affect police department policy.
MPD said that Flock cameras are helping solve crimes, including finding the exact location of Thomas Zollicoffer, a man accused of killing three people. Homicide clearance rates, the rate of solving homicide, have also improved in recent years. Police also said kidnapping cases are thwarted through the use of the cameras.
However, the Milwaukee Common Council demanded answers from MPD about Flock safeguards. The council gave the department until September 30 to respond and said they will use that information to decide about funding when they craft the city's next budget this fall.
"Technology plays an important role in law enforcement, supporting the good work of the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department. In investigations, communications, and accountability, technology has added to the capabilities and effectiveness of our police. As we deploy technology, it is essential that we recognize the limitations and dangers associated with these tools," Mayor Johnson said in part of a statement.
"MPD recognizes that some in our community do not support the use of Flock and we do not dismiss these opinions. MPD acknowledges the harm that former department members have caused that has damaged the trust we work so hard to build. MPD acknowledges the human error that comes with the use of technology and are working tirelessly to reduce error as much as we can," MPD said in a statement.
Comments