After months of pushback, Milwaukee police will pause their pursuit of facial recognition technology and stop their usage of the tech through other agencies, according to a department email.
The Milwaukee Police Department informed city officials of that plan following a Feb. 5 meeting of the Fire and Police Commission where the technology was discussed and criticized by attendees. The department has pursued the technology for nearly a year and used it through other agencies in the past, prompting scrutiny.
The department currently does not have a contract with any company for facial recognition.
“We understand the public concern, particularly in light of national circumstances,” Milwaukee Police Department Chief of Staff Heather Hough said in an email. “Despite our belief that this is useful technology … we recognize that public trust is far more valuable.”
“Therefore, effective immediately, Chief (Jeffrey) Norman will issue a department directive banning the use of facial recognition for all members,” Hough added.
That use has drawn criticisms from some, particularly as it comes without the department having a policy dictating how officers should use it or restrictions on its use.
In the email, Hough said the department will continue to create that policy but will “not utilize facial recognition until that process is complete.” The email does not include a timeline.
The Milwaukee Police Department declined to comment and sent a statement that matched Hough’s email instead.
The decision was not well received by the Milwaukee Police Association. The union for the city’s rank-and-file police officers called it disappointing.
The decision to pause facial recognition, along with the recent decision to limit police chases, was a concern, it said in a statement on social media. Instead, the department should be implementing “responsible oversight and safeguards” for both.
“Removing or restricting these tools does not eliminate crime or danger – it risks shifting that danger onto Milwaukee residents and the officers sworn to protect them,” the union’s statement said.
The decision is a shift in the department’s previous stance on the technology.
Milwaukee police first detailed their interest and use of facial recognition in April 2025 at a Fire and Police Commission meeting. There, department officials outlined how they had use it in several criminal investigations.
They also shared the frameworks of a deal with the company Biometrica, which would provide its facial recognition technology in exchange for 2.5 million mugshots.
Police officials attempted to reassure the public of their intentions: The technology would be used only for violent crimes and could never be used as the sole basis for arresting someone.
That announcement was met with concerns. Activists detailed issues with the technology’s ability to accurately identify people of color, and the potential for federal overreach of it amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
In May 2025, two-thirds of the city’s Common Council members signed on a letter opposing the department’s use and acquisition of it. The letter said the “benefits are significantly outweighed by the risks.”
That came as Norman and other officials had insisted the acquisition of it would be a positive and the use was helpful. In a previous interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Norman described why he was still pursuing the technology.
“We’re not talking about facial recognition to go after somebody who stole a bike,” he said in August. “We’re talking about real, serious, tangible crime.”
During the Fire and Police Commission meeting Feb. 5, about three hours of residents’ public testimony against the tech was given and commissioners scrutinized the department’s continued use of it without a policy.
In a statement, an official with the ACLU of Wisconsin said the pause showed those who spoke out against the technology had made an impact.
“This step forward is a testament to that work,” said Amanda Merkwae, the ACLU Wisconsin’s advocacy director, in an statement.
Some members of the commission said they believed the department had stopped using facial recognition since the department disclosed its use without a policy at prior meetings. Commissioner Bree Spencer said the department’s handling of the issue was causing distrust.
“There needs to be (facial recognition technology) policy regardless of whether or not MPD signs a vendor contract,” Spencer said.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police pause use of facial recognition technology after pushback
Reporting by David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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