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October 15, 2026 · Milwaukee, WI · Transparency

Milwaukee oversight audit says police haven't shown their Flock safeguards work; MPD still plans to renew in January

A 42-page preliminary audit by Milwaukee's Fire and Police Commission, released ahead of the commission's Oct. 15 meeting, says the Milwaukee Police Department has not supplied enough evidence to show that its Flock training, user controls, internal audits and vendor safeguards work as described, Amphibian reported. The audit does not find MPD in violation of its rules and is the first stage of a longer review. The commission could not confirm that anyone approved MPD's Flock training material, kept records or verified completion, and MPD gives no knowledge test or annual refresher. Records obtained by Amphibian list 92 active Flock accounts on a Sept. 15 roster, with no current training record for 73 of them. The audit puts the number of MPD members with access after Sept. 1 restrictions at 67, while an MPD risk manager earlier estimated 799 accounts including inactive and duplicate ones. MPD could not say whether Flock employees can search Milwaukee data or whether the company uses it for AI training, and it has never independently audited Flock's compliance with the contract. The commission asked MPD to respond within 30 to 60 days. MPD's written plate-reader policy, dated Oct. 7, 2024, has not yet been revised to include the restrictions Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced Aug. 31, and MPD still intends to renew its Flock contract when it expires in January. Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic and Ald. Alex Brower have proposed a charter ordinance requiring the Common Council's Finance and Personnel Committee to approve plate-reader contracts.

Local file: milwaukee, WI

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