In a case that continues Wisconsin’s string of law-enforcement abuses of Flock Safety’s automated license-plate reader system, former Menasha Police Officer Cristian Morales was sentenced on August 17, 2026, to six months in jail and three years of probation.
Morales, 32, pleaded no contest to one count of misconduct in public office. According to the criminal complaint, in early October 2025 he used his department credentials while off-duty and at home in Appleton to run multiple Flock searches—logged under the pretext of “welfare” checks—for vehicles belonging to his ex-girlfriend. The queries accessed networks ranging from roughly 15,000 to more than 90,000 cameras across Flock’s system.
Investigators from the Appleton Police Department launched the probe after the woman reported concerns. Morales later admitted the searches were driven by “desperation” and poor judgment and that he knew they were improper. At sentencing in Outagamie County, Judge Mark Schroeder rejected a lighter joint recommendation from prosecutors and the defense. He ordered Morales to serve the jail time immediately, imposed a $250 fine, barred him from future law-enforcement employment or Flock access, and required a risk assessment. The judge labeled Morales an “oathbreaker” who had taken tools meant to protect the public and turned them to “personal and nefarious purposes.”
The victim addressed the court, describing a pattern of controlling behavior, physical abuse, and the fear created by knowing her movements were being tracked by someone who once held a badge.
This Menasha case joins the recent felony charges against former Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank McGrath—who used Flock and department GPS systems to surveil a fellow deputy—and earlier misconduct prosecutions such as that of Milwaukee Officer Josue Ayala, who ran nearly 180 unauthorized plate searches on a romantic partner and her ex. Together they illustrate a recurring pattern across Wisconsin of officers converting public surveillance tools into instruments of private monitoring.
