The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) plans to renew its contract with Flock Safety. Flock makes AI-powered cameras that read license plates and record where drivers go. A decision this big about how residents are watched should not be made quietly inside one department. The Milwaukee Common Council and Mayor Cavalier Johnson should hold a public hearing and an open vote before any renewal is signed.

Flock cameras photograph passing cars and their plates, then store those images in a database police can search. Police say the system helps solve serious crimes. But in Milwaukee, it has already been abused by the people trusted to use it.

Former Milwaukee officer Josue Ayala used Flock more than 170 times to track a former girlfriend and the person she was seeing. He was sentenced to probation. Now former detective Tehrangi Chapman, who helped investigate Ayala, is accused of using Flock to follow two people’s movements 20 times for personal reasons. Chapman has pleaded not guilty. In both cases, the people being tracked were the ones who reported the officers, according to the Wisconsin Examiner.

MPD has added limits, including supervisor-only access and more auditing. But residents still have little say in whether the cameras stay. Last week, the Milwaukee County Board voted to remove Flock cameras from county property. Communities across Wisconsin, including Appleton, Sheboygan, and Dane County, have moved to cancel their contracts.

Milwaukee residents deserve the same open debate. Before the contract is renewed, the Common Council and Mayor Johnson should make its cost and terms public, invite residents to testify, and put renewal to a recorded vote.

Sign the petition to tell Milwaukee leaders: no Flock renewal without a public hearing and a vote.