Two Racine police officers and one Racine County sheriff’s deputy are under investigation for alleged misuse of a license plate reading technology, building on a handful of Wisconsin law enforcement agencies facing the same scrutiny.
A Racine Police Department spokesperson confirmed allegations were made that two members either improperly accessed or misused the license plate reading system known as Flock. That comes as the Racine County Sheriff’s Office has investigated and disciplined one member and asked another agency to investigate another member.
The news of an investigation into Racine law enforcement officers possible misuse of the Flock technology comes after a Milwaukee police detective was charged with a felony for his alleged misuse of it July 9. That followed another Milwaukee police officer facing a misdemeanor in February and others throughout the state have faced investigations.
Racine police spokesperson Sgt. Alicia’s Mitchell declined to comment whether the department had instituted any reforms of how department members use Flock or whether any other officers have been investigated.
Racine County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Luell told the Journal Sentinel no other deputies have been investigated for Flock misuse in the past. He said he could not share further information about the ongoing investigation.
In a statement, Amanda Merkwae with the ACLU of Wisconsin, which has been an outspoken critic of Flock use by state law enforcement agencies, called the Racine investigation a sign of an “epidemic” in police departments.
“Every successive incident only further confirms what we already know: the police cannot be trusted to police themselves,” Merkwae said in the statement. “The only way to ensure meaningful change, transparency and accountability is for policymakers to take swift and decisive action to regulate surveillance tools.”
The Racine County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it was evaluating criminal charges against any of the city’s law enforcement members.
In Milwaukee, prosecutors have charged two police officers after investigations into potential misuse. In one case, a former police officer was sentenced to 12 months on probation and a $500 fine after he tracked an ex-girlfriend and her partner.
That prompted Milwaukee Police Department officials to overhaul its auditing process for how the system is used and how officers are deemed eligible to utilize it.
More recently, a detective tasked with investigating officer misconduct was charged with a felony after investigators alleged he improperly used the system, GPS tracked the vehicle of someone and accessed case files related to the person.
TMJ4 first reported on the alleged Flock misuse in Racine.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Racine law enforcement investigated for license plate reader misuse
Reporting by David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
