Wisconsin governor race: Flock cameras, inmate tablets in the spotlight

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. - Milwaukee County bags its Flock cameras. The county leases 42 Flock cameras, including 14 by the lakefront, and the others watched from other county parkland.

Cameras covered

Local perspective:

Now, those cameras are covered with black plastic bags. On October 1, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to remove the Flock cameras. On October 12, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley signed the legislation. The county’s lease with Flock expires in December, while Crowley runs for Wisconsin governor in just about three weeks.

"I recognize the value camera surveillance can offer for our public safety partners, and I will keep working to strengthen public safety in Milwaukee County, including helping our sheriff's office identify and implement more tools to prevent crimes," Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said during the signing ceremony. "But our residents' constitutional rights must take precedence."

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"David can choose what he’s going to do in Milwaukee County," U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor, said. "I think we need to set up a task force. That’s what I’m going to do right after being elected. Let’s find out where they can be used, and if they can be used. My first priority is always privacy. We need to make sure we protect people’s privacy. We need to be sure that we protect their data."

Milwaukee County executive pauses inmate messaging amid Republican criticism

Another tech issue on the campaign trail involves inmate tablets, after a few Milwaukee County inmates were accused of misusing them.

On Friday, Oct. 9, Crowley announced he was pausing the messaging function on inmate tablets until "safeguards are in place to protect victims."

It only applies at the Community Reintegration Center, which was formerly called the House of Corrections. That facility is under his authority through the superintendent he appoints.

The pause does not apply to the county’s jail, which is under the authority of the independently elected sheriff. 

The county says it will be meeting with the vendor to set up stricter rules and safety guardrails.

During the pause, the county executive says inmates will still be able to make phone calls.

Milwaukee County inmate accused of misusing tablets to intimidate victim

One of the Milwaukee County cases of alleged misuse involved Damian Luis Cosme-Torres. Prosecutors charged him with intimidating the victim in a strangulation and battery case against him. 

The charging document said he sent messages urging the victim to drop the charges:

"Even if you are done w me please drop the charges."

"Drop the charges please I will give you the respect n honesty you deserve…"

Prosecutors also alleged he tried calling the victim with 2,439 call attempts from April 4-September 13.

Candidates for governor on inmate tablets

"We found out that the safeguards that were in place weren't necessarily working the way that they should," Crowley said. "And for me, we have a zero tolerance when it comes down to harassments of victims and making sure that making sure that they're not being intimidated. And so, at the end of the day, this is about making sure that we can put the safeguards in place before we allow people to use the messaging. Now, I want to be very clear: this is something that we did within the Community Reintegration Center specifically because that's what I have control over."

"We’re the ones that pointed out to David Crowley that you’re allowing, for example, a triple murderer to threaten the witnesses in his case and he said he didn’t see a problem at that point. Now, when it’s become a political problem for him, he acts?" Tiffany said. "That’s not how I’ll lead. I’ll lead making sure that we’re tough on crime, and that those who are in our prisons and in our jails, that they’re not threatening witnesses and victims. I will look out for victims of crime first."

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What to know about the tablets

Dig deeper:

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said tax money is not paying for them, but the inmates pay fees to the outside vendor. The office said tablets cannot access the internet or place phone or video calls, but can send messages. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office says the potential recipient in the outside world has to agree to receive the messages and must verify their identity through a photo ID and live video call. They are used across the state and country, including by the federal government and the state of Wisconsin. 

Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s reporter and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.

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