Manitowoc County’s District Attorney says a controversial safety device is actually an important tool for prosecutors.
Issues over Flock Safety Cameras have caused some northeast Wisconsin communities to cut ties with the company after community pushback, but DA Jacalyn LaBre says the cameras have been an important tool for prosecution.
She stated that the cameras are only reading license plates.
“They are not tracking anything,” she explained. “They are just a stationary camera. It’s the same as having a police officer standing on a corner writing down the license plates as they drive by.”
LaBre says there have been several cases solved with the help of Flock Safety Cameras, including a shooting incident in Manitowoc County.
In this case, the suspect drove from Indiana to Manitowoc to attempt a robbery on a person who lived in an apartment.
Evidence from the cameras has also been used in burglary and sexual assault cases.
LaBre reiterated that license plate information collected by Flock Safety cameras may be used only for law enforcement purposes.
“A police officer can’t just run a plate,” she noted. “If it’s for a law enforcement purpose, they can run it. If there is a registration concern, something like that. But if it’s somebody’s parked at a friend’s house, ‘I want to know who’s parked at my friend’s house.’ They are not supposed to do that. It’s supposed to be for law enforcement purposes.”
Issues with Flock Safety have come out after Wisconsin police officers have been charged and convicted of using the system to spy on ex-partners, including former Milwaukee Police officer Josue Ayala, who was recently sentenced to 12-months of probation and received a $500 fine after pleading guilty to attempted misconduct in public office..
Cities like Oshkosh also cut ties with Flock after their police chief said the company made untrue statements to them.
However, Oshkosh officials are looking for a new company that could provide traffic safety cameras. As of now, there are no expected changes for Flock safety cameras used in Manitowoc County.
