Milwaukee Police Officer Charged in Flock Camera Misuse Case

Prosecutors say officer used license plate reader system to track dating partner and ex-partner

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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A Milwaukee police officer has been charged with attempted misconduct in public office for allegedly misusing the department's Flock Safety license plate reader system to track a person he was dating and that person's ex-partner. Prosecutors say the officer, Josue Ayala, conducted 179 unauthorized searches of the license plate database over a period of time.

Why it matters

This case highlights concerns over the potential misuse of law enforcement technology like automated license plate readers, which can give officers access to sensitive personal information. It raises questions about the need for stronger policies and oversight to ensure these tools are only used for legitimate public safety purposes.

The details

According to the criminal complaint, Officer Josue Ayala, an 8-year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department, is accused of using his authorized access to the Flock camera system to search the license plates of a person he was dating more than 50 times, as well as that person's ex-partner more than 100 times. Department policy requires officers to document the reason for each search, but prosecutors say Ayala used only single-word justifications like "investigation."

  • The alleged misuse was uncovered after one of the victims searched their own license plate on the website haveibeenflocked.com and alerted police.
  • Ayala is due in court for his initial appearance on March 4, 2026.

The players

Josue Ayala

A Milwaukee police officer who is charged with attempted misconduct in public office for allegedly misusing the department's Flock license plate reader system to track a dating partner and that person's ex-partner.

Jeffrey Norman

The Milwaukee Police Chief, who said he is disappointed by the alleged misuse but committed to holding officers accountable when they violate the public's trust.

Jon McCray Jones

An ACLU policy analyst who criticized the lack of transparency around the justifications used by officers to conduct license plate searches.

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What they’re saying

“They're using one-word descriptions to justify why they are running people's license plates. And oftentimes, the one word is just 'investigation.' What are you investigating? We don't know because there's a lack of transparency.”

— Jon McCray Jones, ACLU policy analyst (fox6now.com)

“It's supposed to be used for the right reasons to be sure we impact public safety. And I take it very seriously when anyone in this organization harms or violates that public trust.”

— Jeffrey Norman, Milwaukee Police Chief (fox6now.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on March 4 whether to accept Ayala's agreement to resign from the Milwaukee Police Department as part of the negotiated plea deal.

The takeaway

This case highlights the need for stronger policies, oversight, and transparency around the use of law enforcement technology like automated license plate readers to ensure they are only used for legitimate public safety purposes and not abused for personal reasons, which can erode public trust in the police.