A Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors committee has unanimously advanced a resolution to remove Flock Safety license-plate reader cameras from county parks, setting up a full-board vote scheduled for Oct. 1. The measure passed Tuesday in the board’s Committee on Parks and Culture. The cameras, used by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide, photograph passing vehicles and plates. Police can search the stored images to trace a vehicle’s movements across networks that may include hundreds or thousands of cameras. Supporters of removing the cameras say the technology can enable broad surveillance without a warrant and has been misused by officers. Supervisor Justin Bielinski said elected officials must ensure technology used in the public’s name protects civil liberties. Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez described Flock as surveillance technology that is not yet fully developed and said residents should be concerned about its use. Wisconsin has seen four cases in which officers or deputies were accused of using Flock to monitor people for personal reasons. Three involved allegations of tracking current or former romantic partners; in another, a Milwaukee detective allegedly monitored someone he had followed for years. The officers and deputies were charged with misconduct in public office. One officer, Menasha’s Cristian Morales, was sentenced to six months in jail in August; Milwaukee officer Josue Ayala received probation. Two cases remain ongoing. Privacy advocates have also raised concerns about Flock searches connected to immigration enforcement, reproductive health care and protests. Martinez questioned whether federal agencies could access data collected locally. He also recalled an immigration enforcement incident in a county park and said he worries surveillance could contribute to the speed of such operations. The sheriff’s office has defended the cameras. In a presentation to county board members, it reported crime reductions of 20% to 25% in areas with Flock cameras and a 43% decline in certain crimes from 2023 to 2026 in county parks since installation. The presentation did not establish that the cameras caused those decreases. The office said it retains Flock data for seven days and is considering a 48-hour limit. It also said it owns the data, does not sell or share it, prohibits searches related to immigration enforcement or reproductive health care, and does not subscribe to statewide or national searches. The presentation argued that camera-generated heat maps show vehicle-data density rather than tracking individuals. The committee also advanced a separate resolution establishing reporting requirements for law enforcement staging in county parks. The proposal would build on county efforts to bar immigration enforcement from using parks as staging areas. Flock cameras have faced growing opposition in Wisconsin, where at least 221 law enforcement agencies used the system in 2025. Some communities have canceled contracts or moved to disable their cameras. The county board’s vote will determine whether Milwaukee County parks join them.