Milwaukee police detective charged, accused of misusing a GPS device and Flock license plate system

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - A Milwaukee police detective has been charged with misconduct in public office and misusing a GPS device to obtain information after serving more than 22 years with the department.

Allegations involving 51-year-old Detective Tehrangi Chapman were first brought to the attention of the Milwaukee Police Department on March 13, according to police, at which time Chapman was placed on full suspension.

“No one is above the law. We expect all members of this department—both sworn officers and professional staff—to uphold the highest ethical standards. We will continue to take decisive action to preserve public trust and honor the values of this organization,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said in a statement.

The information was passed on to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office for review, and officials say an investigation substantiated claims of misconduct.

According to the criminal complaint, Chapman was one of two detectives assigned to investigate claims in December against former MPD Officer Josue Ayala, who was criminally charged with misusing the department's Flock license plate reader system.

Prosecutors say an internal audit of Flock system use revealed Chapman used the system to search a license plate for a car registered to "Victim 3" three times in January, listing the reason as "training." The audit further revealed Chapman used the system to search a license plate for "Victim 4" 17 times between Jan. 10, 2024, and Jan. 3, 2025, listing the reasons as either "training" or "test."

Investigators interviewed Chapman in May, according to the complaint, at which time Chapman reportedly admitted to using the Flock system to track the whereabouts of both victims. The complaint says Chapman further admitted to installing a GPS tracking device on the car belonging to "Victim 4" without their knowledge to track their whereabouts.

The Milwaukee Police Association responded with the following statement:

"The Milwaukee Police Association is aware of the criminal charges filed against one of our members. As with any citizen, this detective is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and we respect the integrity of that process."

CBS 58 reached out to Chapman and his attorney for comment but did not receive a response.

Court records show Chapman is due in court for an initial appearance July 17.

A Flock Safety spokesperson responded with the following statement regarding the charges:

"Misuse of any law enforcement tool is unacceptable. This case is exactly why Flock builds our technology to include immutable, transparent audit trails, so rare cases of potential abuse can be detected, investigated, and addressed. Every search conducted in the Flock system is recorded in an immutable audit log; it includes the reason for the search, the user who performed the search, and the search parameters. Accountability is built into our system by design, and when concerns arise, agencies have the tools to review activity and take appropriate action."