Former Milwaukee officer sentenced for illegal license plate searches A former Milwaukee police officer received 12 months of probation and a fine for illegally searching license plates of his ex-girlfriend and her former partner.

Former Milwaukee Police Department officer Josue Ayala was sentenced to 12 months of probation and a $500 fine after pleading guilty to attempted misconduct in public office for misusing the department's access to the Flock license plate reader system.

A judge also imposed 180 days in the Community Integration Center, but stayed that time, meaning Ayala will not serve jail time unless he violates probation.


The judge ordered Ayala to have no contact with two victims in the case. A restitution hearing was scheduled for a later date.

Prosecutors recommended a fine and said the amount was up to the judge. In court, prosecutors said Ayala had already resigned from the department, lost his badge, lost public trust, impacted MPD, pleaded guilty, taken responsibility for his actions and faced public scrutiny.

Ayala's attorney asked for one day, time served, and a $500 fine.

Before sentencing, Ayala addressed the court briefly.

 I dedicated 11 years of my life to law enforcement, targeting violent offenders and making a difference in the community. I don't offer that as an excuse, but I just don't want that incident to reflect the person who I truly am and have been. So I just wanted to apologize for that. 

The case stemmed from Ayala's use of the Flock camera system to search for license plates associated with a former girlfriend and that person's ex. 12 News reported in June 2026 that Ayala searched one plate 124 times and another 55 times, for a total of 179 searches while on duty last spring.

The investigation began after one of the victims searched their plate on Have I Been Flocked, a website that uses public records to show when law enforcement agencies access license plate reader data.

Ayala resigned from MPD as part of a negotiated issuance of charges. He later pleaded guilty, and prosecutors said at that hearing they would recommend on

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