Say NO to Facial Recognition Technology in Milwaukee

Milwaukee's Equal Rights Commission

The Milwaukee Police Department has stated its intention to acquire its own Facial Recognition Software/Technology (FRT). After nearly 30 residents testified against the acquisition of FRT at the April 17 Fire and Police Commission (FPC) meeting, the Milwaukee Police Department indicated it still plans to pursue this technology.

On Wednesday, June 18, the City of Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission (ERC) will address the topic of MPD acquiring & using its own facial recognition technology. The ERC is limiting public testimony to 30 minutes total at this meeting and has not confirmed who will be allowed to speak. Despite this anti-democratic limitation on public testimony, we will make our voices heard!

This petition will be delivered to the ERC at the June 18 meeting. We will print off a copy of this letter for each signature received to demonstrate the vast opposition to this technology by individuals who live, work, and/or spend time in Milwaukee.

Thank you for joining this fight!

Petition by
Gravatar
Heba Mohammad
Green Bay, Wisconsin

To: Milwaukee's Equal Rights Commission
From: [Your Name]

Hello,

I write to the Equal Rights Commission (ERC) to express my opposition to the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) acquiring its own facial recognition technology (FRT). This letter is relevant to the June 18, 2025 meeting of the ERC during which the topic of FRT is on the agenda with a limited amount of time allocated to public testimony.

The city of Milwaukee has at least 5,727 CCTV cameras accessible to the MPD - that’s 10 cameras per 1,000 people. We also know the MPD utilizes cellphone interceptor technology and drones to further surveil our communities. The addition of facial recognition technology is a serious threat to our personal privacy, political and religious expression, and our fundamental freedom to live our lives without having every movement and association secretly monitored and analyzed by law enforcement. There is a lack of transparency regarding how facial recognition data is collected, stored, and used, making it difficult for individuals to understand and control their privacy. Data is often collected en masse and without consent, adding to concerns over data breaches involving facial recognition data because facial images are unique identifiers that cannot be easily changed.

Facial recognition algorithms are notoriously inaccurate and racist, and this must be taken into consideration for our city where over half the population are people of color. A study done by the US federal government showed that African American and Asian faces were up to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than white faces, and the highest false-positive rate was among Native Americans. These surveillance activities raise major human rights concerns, especially when there is evidence that Black people are already disproportionately criminalized and targeted by the police. This technology has even led to false arrests. The potential for misuse of collected data, including identity theft, stalking, and harassment, is a major concern.

Right now, there are no published policies dictating how the Milwaukee Police Department uses invasive surveillance tools — or how the associated data is shared with federal law enforcement agencies like ICE, other state and local jurisdictions, or private corporations. Furthermore, the recent expansion of MPD’s surveillance technology, in particular due to budget increases provided for the DNC & RNC, demonstrates that residents have little to no say in preventing MPD from expanding its surveillance capabilities.

I do not support discrimination and racism in our city, and this technology will only further equip the single largest, sanctioned perpetrator of these epidemics on our streets - the Milwaukee Police Department.

Thank you,