Milwaukee Cop Used Flock Cameras to Track Romantic Partner

Two Milwaukee Police Department block N. Richards St.. on April 23. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) officer was charged with using the department’s AI-powered network of Flock surveillance cameras to track the movements of his girlfriend and her former lover.

Officer Josue Ayala faces one count of misdemeanor misconduct in public office. The advanced surveillance network is capable of scanning and storing license plate images, and Ayala allegedly used the system to search their license plates more than 100 times.

Flock cameras, produced by Flock Safety, collect images of every vehicle or person that moves past them. Photos are maintained in a database searchable by law enforcement for up to 30 days, according to a presentation in 2025 by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

Ayala’s alleged actions were discovered when one of the alleged victims searched their license plate on a website that publishes records of Flock “network audit logs” from law enforcement agencies. A network audit from March 26 to May 25, 2025, found Ayala searched the license plate for his partner’s ex 55 times.

They filed a misconduct complaint against Ayala, and on Dec. 15 a case was opened. Investigators found he searched his partner’s license plate 124 times. When officers use Flock, they are supposed to provide a reason for their search. For all his searches, Ayala simply put “investigation.”

“I am extremely disappointed to learn about the incident and expect all members, sworn and civilian, to demonstrate the highest ethical standards in the performance of their duties. If a member violates the code of conduct, they will be held accountable,” Chief Jeffrey Norman said in a statement. “I want to remind the public that everyone is afforded the right of due process under the law, and as such, are innocent until proven guilty.”

Norman has directed MPD to create additional auditing mechanisms that were “swiftly implemented within the department,” according to the department.

Recent changes to Flock’s transparency policies would keep Ayala’s alleged actions hidden if they were committed today. Flock recently started redacting identifying information in network audit logs, according to a January statement made by Flock’s VP of Solutions Chris Colwell. The private company no longer reveals which officers are searching the surveillance database or what they’re searching for.

“The accusations made against Milwaukee Police Officer Josue Ayala exemplify just how easily Flock cameras can be turned against the very people the technology purports to protect,” said Jon McCray Jones, a policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, in a statement.

The incident in Milwaukee is part of a growing pattern of law enforcement officers abusing public surveillance tools for personal use, often against women, McCray Jones said. A police officer in Menasha was recently charged with illegally using the camera system to track the movements of his ex-girlfriend.

“Cases like these demonstrate why we can’t afford to allow Flock’s ALPR system — or any other surveillance tool law enforcement has at its disposal — to operate without proper oversight or safeguards to protect against misuse,” McCray Jones said.