Park Camera Ban
Milwaukee County Committee Advances Resolution to Remove Park License Plate Cameras
Anonymous
Milwaukee County’s Parks and Culture Committee unanimously advanced a resolution to remove 42 Flock license plate-reading cameras from county parks by the end of the year; the full County Board has not yet made a final decision. The amended plan would allow officials to consider conventional security cameras without automated license plate tracking or facial recognition. Supporters cited privacy and civil-liberties concerns, while the Sheriff’s Office said the cameras help investigate serious crimes and address limited patrol resources; some supervisors favored retaining surveillance with tighter safeguards. Separately, a Simpsonville, South Carolina, councilwoman proposed banning traffic-surveillance cameras, with the measure expected to be discussed at an upcoming meeting.
Key Points
1
The proposed ban would cover not only Flock equipment but also other automatic license plate-reading cameras, ending their use at 11 county parks.
2
The Sheriff’s Office proposed specific safeguards for any continued surveillance: limiting access to 47 authorized users, ending data sharing with outside agencies, and potentially cutting data retention to 48 hours.
3
Chief Deputy Brian Barkow said the technology had helped investigate violent crimes, shootings, sexual assaults and stolen-vehicle cases in county parks.
4
Some local leaders pointed to reported misuse of Flock technology by law-enforcement members in Wisconsin and elsewhere as part of their concerns about data extending beyond conventional criminal investigations.
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