Milwaukee Police Department — Facial Recognition Use Halted (2026) Pending Operating Procedures
Milwaukee, WI · Milwaukee Police Department facial-recognition use halt (Feb 2026); SOP under development
After public pushback, the Milwaukee Police Department halted its use of facial recognition technology in February 2026. A city oversight body had found that MPD was using the technology without any formal standard operating procedure, and a proposed deal with vendor Biometrica (trading 2.5 million booking photos for free access) drew strong community and council opposition. No binding facial-recognition policy has been adopted; MPD says an operating procedure is still being developed.
Technical detail
Milwaukee PD paused facial-recognition use in Feb 2026 following community organizing and council opposition to a proposed Biometrica agreement (free internal FR access in exchange for ~2.5M booking photos). The Fire and Police Commission found MPD had been using FR without an adopted SOP. A formal SOP — expected to address supervisory approval, audit logging, and limits on live/real-time FR — remains under development and unadopted as of this verification. Status is therefore 'proposed' (a voluntary pause, not an enacted ordinance or finalized policy).
Who is protected: Milwaukee residents and visitors
Who must comply: Milwaukee Police Department personnel
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Milwaukee, WI |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Status | Proposed / pending |
| Protection strength | Limited protection |
| Citation | Milwaukee Police Department facial-recognition use halt (Feb 2026); SOP under development |
| Enforced by | Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission |
| Topics | facial recognition · biometric data · police and surveillance AI |
| Last verified | 2026-07-01 |
| Official source | City Hall: Facing Pushback, MPD Halts Use of Facial Recognition Technology — Urban Milwaukee ↗ |
Related facial recognition rules elsewhere
- BIPA · In effect
- AI Video Interview Act · In effect
- New Hampshire HB 1688 (state-agency AI limits) · In effect
- Montana HB 178 (limits on government AI use) · In effect
- NYPD POST Act · In effect
- SF Facial Recognition Ban · In effect
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