MILWAUKEE — A former Milwaukee police officer was sentenced to 1 year of probation and a $500 fine on Wednesday for misusing the department's Flock camera system to track his ex and that person's partner.
WATCH: Former MPD officer gets probation for misusing license plate-reader technology
Josue Ayala, 34, used the camera database more than 170 times for personal reasons, prosecutors said. He was charged with a misdemeanor as part of a negotiated deal with the District Attorney's Office in exchange for a guilty plea and his resignation.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Milwaukee police detective charged with misusing Flock surveillance cameras
Prosecutors and Ayala's defense attorney asked the judge to issue only fines as a consequence. Instead, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Kristela Cervera sentenced Ayala to probation after reading an impact statement from one of the victims.
"I'm mortified when I read through the impact statement here as to how Mr. Ayala’s actions affected victim two from what I understand. That it affected this person’s physical and mental health." Judge Cervera said.
Judge Cervera read part of a letter she received from one of the victims Ayala tracked 124 times.
"As a result of victimization and trauma, I am more often than not in the state of hyper vigilance causing paranoia and severe sleep deprevation," the victim's written statement said.
Ayala addressed the court before he was sentenced.
"I wanted to begin by taking accountability for the poor judgement that I excersized in my actions," Ayala said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Milwaukee police chief defends Flock cameras after 2nd officer charged with misuse
Prosecutor Matthew Torbenson and Cervera said the case has raised broader concerns in the community about whether officers can be trusted not to misuse the technology.
"This case represents an abuse of power and a misuse of power," Torbenson said. “It results in a lack of trust from our community. That’s the story that’s going to be printed today. It is about police misuse of the Flock system.”
The Milwaukee Police Department's 31 Flock cameras photograph the back of every vehicle that passes by. Those images are stored in a database that Ayala illegally accessed for personal reasons.
"I think the name Ayala is going to forever be associated with the Flock system in Milwaukee County," Defense attorney Michael Steinle Steinle said.
After sentencing, TMJ4 met Ayala in the hallway and asked about the outcome.
"This turned out to be a probation case when you asked for fines, what's your reaction to that?" Reporter Ben Jordan asked. Ayala declined to answer.
Notably, the detective assigned to investigate Ayala's misuse of the database is now charged with a felony for allegedly misusing it as well. That suspended detective, Tehrangi Chapman, is scheduled to make his first court appearance on July 17.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial
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