The IJ Database of ALPR Abuse

The IJ Database of ALPR Abuse The Institute for Justice has cataloged more than 200 incidents of ALPR abuse, including romantic stalking, wrongful stops and detentions, non-law enforcement use, and other types of misconduct. Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) were sold to American communities as a targeted tool for catching car thieves and finding missing people. What they actually purchased has grown into something far broader and more frightening: an AI-powered network of cameras that photograph and log the movement of every driver who passes, whether or not they are suspected of any crime. Companies like Flock Safety have now blanketed thousands of communities with ALPRs, quietly assembling powerful mass surveillance systems that can reconstruct where people have been, when, and how often, all without a warrant. This dragnet surveillance threatens the freedoms the Fourth Amendment was adopted to protect. These concerns aren’t just abstractions: every day, innocent people are harmed by officials’ abuse and misuse of these ALPRs. Here are just a few examples: - In Florida, a woman was stalked and pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy who saw her at a TV shoot. - In Texas, a sheriff’s deputy used 83,000 Flock ALPRs to find a woman who had allegedly had a medication abortion, at the behest of her abusive partner. - In Georgia, a police chief tracked his ex-girlfriend and her teenage daughter roughly 600 times. All told, the Institute for Justice (IJ) has identified well over 100 incidents of ALPR abuse, including romantic stalking, wrongful stops and detentions, non-law enforcement use, and other types of misconduct. Although this is the most comprehensive list publicly available, it may be just the tip of the iceberg. Officers rarely enter specific reasons when they search ALPR databases, and the volume of searches is so large that it would be impossible to figure out whether officers’ vague justifications are actually true. For instance, in litigation against Norfolk, Virginia, IJ discovered that the top three search reasons (“cj,” “stolen,” and “inv”) accounted for nearly one third of 230,000 searches over two years. One officer repeatedly wrote “la la la la,” and nobody noticed. The incidents IJ identified are documented and mapped below. IJ is updating this database regularly, and you can help by letting us know about any incidents we missed. When the government can track the everyday movements of ordinary people—to their jobs, their churches, their doctors, their protests—it holds a kind of power over private life that the Constitution does not allow. That is why IJ is fighting back in court, including federal lawsuits challenging ALPR surveillance programs in the cities of Norfolk and San Jose. To learn more, visit plateprivacy.com. Database of ALPR abuse - Error - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Other Misuse - Stalking Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Wrightsville Beach officer was fired and referred for criminal investigation after unspecified misuse of the Flock system. Swampscott, Massachusetts - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Swampscott officer was placed on leave while authorities investigated the officer’s alleged misuse of the Flock system in the nearby town of Lynn. Gwinnett, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Derric Holmes was fired and charged with six counts of misuse of license plate data for unspecified misconduct. Gwinnett, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Matthew Lay was fired and charged with one count of misuse of license plate reader data for unspecified misconduct. Michigan City, Indiana - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Michigan City officer resigned in the midst of an investigation into unauthorized Flock searches. Joliet, Illinois - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed officer was put on paid administrative leave following an investigation into improper use of the Flock system. Clayton County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deputy Errol Farrell was arrested and charged with misuse of a license plate reader system after allegedly running improper searches on Flock. New Bedford, Massachusetts - Date - September 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Sgt. James Marinelli was referred for possible criminal charges after allegedly using the Flock system to track current and former girlfriends. Hall County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Hall County deputy Melissa Wood was fired after allegedly using the Flock system to search for a person “known to her.” Joliet, Illinois - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Joliet Police Department employee was put on paid administrative leave following an investigation into alleged misuse of the Flock system. Richmond County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Investigator Sean Morrow was fired and criminally charged for alleged misuse of the Flock system. Richmond County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deputy Jose Ferrer was fired and criminally charged for alleged misuse of the Flock system. Hahira, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former officer Daniel Lindsay was arrested and criminally charged for alleged “non-work-related” misuse of the Flock system. Brunswick County, North Carolina - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office employee resigned and was put under criminal investigation for alleged misuse of the Flock system. Hall County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deputy Jason Orellana resigned after performing 10 unauthorized Flock searches at the request of a co-worker who did not have access to the system. Hall County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Hall County deputy Taylor McArthur resigned after asking a co-worker to run Flock searches on people she knew. Hall County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Hall County deputy Austin Scott Flanagan resigned after accessing the Flock system multiple times for reasons unrelated to his job. He was also under investigation for making harrassing phone calls. Tift County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Tift County deputy was demoted and had his access to sensitive data systems revoked after running Flock searches on himself. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock A driver was wrongfully pulled over twice after Flock cameras incorrectly flagged her new car twice for purported insurance violations. Hall County, Georgia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Hall County deputy Brandon Sanders resigned after an internal audit uncovered multiple off-duty Flock searches not connected to any police work. West Chicago, Illinois - Date - September 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed West Chicago officer was placed on paid administrative leave while the police department investigates the officer’s alleged misuse of the Flock system. Alexandria, Virginia - Date - September 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Audit reports and emails obtained by the Alexandria Times show at least 56 instances of apparent misuse of the Alexandria Flock database, with the majority of those cases involving a lack of a case number or adequate explanation for the search, a violation of department policy. Colleton County, South Carolina - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Kevin Smalls was fired after allegedly running 62 unauthorized searches on the Flock system for his spouse and other people he knew. Channahon, Illinois - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Channahon officer was placed on administrative leave after an audit revealed possible misuse of the Flock system. Will County, Illinois - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Will County sheriff’s deputy was placed on leave while authorities investigated the deputy’s alleged misuse of the Flock system. Pflugerville, Texas - Date - August 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Pflugerville authorities shut down and covered the city’s Flock cameras after an open records request by a city resident revealed that hundreds of outside agencies had unauthorized access to the city’s Flock data. Lee County, Alabama - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Lee County deputy was fired after an audit allegedly revealed Flock misuse. Habersham County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Deputy Jonathan Thomas was fired and criminally charged after an internal audit found that he used the Flock system to track the whereabouts of a person he was in a relationship with. After Thomas’ arrest, the Sheriff’s office announced it was imposing new restrictions on deputies’ use of Flock cameras. Hall County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Investigator Justin Brown was fired and referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for potential criminal charges after allegedly using the Flock system for non-law enforcement reasons at least twice. Hall County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Investigator Michael Atkins was fired and referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for potential criminal charges after allegedly using the Flock system for non-law enforcement reasons at least four times. Lufkin, Texas - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock A second unnamed Lufkin officer was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into potential Flock misuse. Lynn, Massachusetts - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of two unnamed Lynn officers placed on administrative leave after an audit uncovered “a concerning pattern” in some Flock searches. Lynn, Massachusetts - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of two unnamed Lynn officers placed on administrative leave after an audit uncovered “a concerning pattern” in some Flock searches. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed officer received “corrective action” after using the Flock system to infringe on a person’s rights in an unspecified manner. St. Charles County, Missouri - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock A civilian employee resigned in the midst of an investigation into allegedly “egregious” personal misuse of the Flock system. Bloomingdale, Illinois - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Bloomingdale officer was put on leave after allegedly using the Flock system for an unauthorized purpose. Itasca, Illinois - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed officer was fired for an unspecified Flock violation after a news organization requested records related to misuse of license plate readers. Brevard County, Florida - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former Brevard Deputy Michael Fultz resigned after an investigation uncovered “egregious misconduct,” including looking up his ex-girlfriend’s license plate on Flock. Lufkin, Texas - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Lufkin officer Zachary Klein was arrested and indicted on 100 felony counts related to misuse of the Flock system “for a nongovernmental purpose and with the intent to obtain a benefit or harm or defraud another.” Klein allegedly searched for his ex-girlfriend and people she knew more than 10,000 times. The department subsequently disabled all of its Flock cameras. Henrico County, Virginia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock After an internal review, Henrico County authorities revoked fire marshals’ access to the Flock system as state law prohibits such use. Reidsville, North Carolina - Date - August 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Reidsville resident Amadeus Purcell says police officers citing a Flock capture falsely accused him of reckless driving. Purcell was able to prove his innocence because he had a Wendy’s receipt in his car indicating he was not in the area of the offense when it occurred. Temple, Texas - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Temple officer resigned in the midst of an investigation into allegedly unauthorized use of the Flock system. Atlanta, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Georgia Department of Corrections special agent Robert Keim was arrested and charged after allegedly misusing a Flock license plate reader system. Covington, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former officer Michael Canty was arrested for alleged misuse of the Flock system. Palos Park, Illinois - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Cohen Piechocinski was accused of conducted multiple unauthorized Flock searches of his personal vehicles. His Flock privileges were revoked and the department is considering discipline. Bibb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former deputy Tony Lewis was charged with stalking and other crimes after allegedly using the Flock system to track someone he was in a relationship with. Bibb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former deputy Coznavian Stubbs was charged with stalking and other crimes after allegedly using the Flock system to track someone he was in a relationship with. Bibb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former deputy Joseph Callaway was charged with stalking and other crimes after allegedly using the Flock system to track someone he was in a relationship with. Mooresville, North Carolina - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Elizabeth Snowman was criminally charged after allegedly using Flock cameras to track the location of her boyfriend’s ex-wife. Coweta County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed Coweta County Sheriff’s Office employees who resigned in the midst of an audit into their use of Flock. Coweta County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed Coweta County Sheriff’s Office employees who resigned in the midst of an audit into their use of Flock. Coweta County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed Coweta County Sheriff’s Office employees who resigned in the midst of an audit into their use of Flock. Brookfield, Wisconsin - Date - August 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Officers pulled over an innocent person with guns drawn after a Flock camera issued an alert for a vehicle that should not have been in the system. Apache Junction, Arizona - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former officer Joshua McDaniels resigned at the conclusion of an investigation that found he improperly used Flock to look up the location of his wife. Brentwood, Missouri - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock An outside investigation found that an unnamed officer committed “sustained policy violations” by using the Flock system to track the location of his ex-wife during their divorce proceedings. East Point, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Documents viewed by InvestigateTV showed that an unnamed East Point officer used Flock for personal searches, with the police chief describing the incident as a “one-off.” Union City, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Documents reviewed by InvestigateTV showed that an unnamed officer was forced to resign following an investigation into Flock misuse. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of five unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for searching Flock without a legitimate law enforcement purpose. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of five unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for searching Flock without a legitimate law enforcement purpose. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of five unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for searching Flock without a legitimate law enforcement purpose. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of five unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for searching Flock without a legitimate law enforcement purpose. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of five unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for searching Flock without a legitimate law enforcement purpose. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for unspecified Flock policy violations. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for unspecified Flock policy violations. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed DeKalb officers suspended for unspecified Flock policy violations. New Bedford, Massachusetts - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock New Bedford officer Emily Pacheco was placed on leave and an investigation was opened after her ex-girlfriend filed for an abuse prevention order against her. Pacheco allegedly stalked her ex using Flock cameras. Millcreek, Utah - Date - August 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Authorities in Millcreek discovered a Flock camera on city property and removed it after being unable to determine who installed it or who had access to it. Chandler, Arizona - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Chandler police department employee allegedly misused Flock data, resulting in the city canceling its contract with the company. Goodyear, Arizona - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Goodyear officer was placed on administrative leave after an audit flagged “concerning activity involving a potential department policy violation.” Indianapolis, Indiana - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Unspecified An unnamed IMPD officer was suspended and recommended for termination after an internal investigation found they used the department’s ALPR cameras for “personal reasons.” Deer Park, Texas - Date - August 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deer Park officer Brandon Williams was suspended for 10 days and reassigned to Patrol Division after allegedly searching for a single license plate 165 times over the span of several months. The searches were not related to law enforcement work. Houston County, Georgia - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock School Resource Officer Sierra Carroll was suspended without pay and is facing potential criminal charges after an internal audit revealed she misused the Flock system to track family members and coworkers. Jefferson Parish, Louisiana - Date - August 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock After an inquiry from a reporter, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office fired Deputy Nathan Rome after determining he had searched for his ex-fiancee’s license plate thousands of times over several years. The ex-fiancee told investigators she was aware of the unauthorized searches. Albany, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Isaac Whitus was one of five officers fired by the Albany Police Department and arrested in July 2026 for allegedly misusing Flock cameras. Albany, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Brittney Smith was one of five officers fired by the Albany Police Department and arrested in July 2026 for allegedly misusing Flock cameras. Albany, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Nicholas Richardson was one of five officers fired by the Albany Police Department and arrested in July 2026 for allegedly misusing Flock cameras. Albany, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Jade Jackson was one of five officers fired by the Albany Police Department and arrested in July 2026 for allegedly misusing Flock cameras. Albany, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Tytianna Davis was one of five officers fired by the Albany Police Department and arrested in July 2026 for allegedly misusing Flock cameras. Greene County, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deputy Quin’sha Goss was fired and arrested for allegedly using the Flock system for personal reasons over a period of several months. DeKalb County, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock DeKalb County Sergeant Kabiru Salawu was fired and arrested after allegedly using Flock cameras for personal reasons. Fayetteville, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed officers fired and under criminal investigation for allegedly using Flock cameras to look up information on themselves, friends or family members. Fayetteville, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed officers fired and under criminal investigation for allegedly using Flock cameras to look up information on themselves, friends or family members. Fayetteville, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of three unnamed officers fired and under criminal investigation for allegedly using Flock cameras to look up information on themselves, friends or family members. Racine, Wisconsin - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock As of July 2026, two unnamed officers were under investigation for allegedly misusing Flock cameras in Racine County. Racine, Wisconsin - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock As of July 2026, two unnamed officers were under investigation for allegedly misusing Flock cameras in Racine County. Sumter County, Florida - Date - July 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Sumter County detective Brandy Almany was fired and criminally charged after allegedly using Flock and other police databases to track her husband’s ex-wife. Habersham County, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Deputy Christian Brewer was fired and arrested after an internal audit uncovered he used the Flock system to track the whereabouts of a person he was in a relationship with. Auburn, Washington - Date - July 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Auburn police used Flock cameras to track down a shooting suspect, but arrested the wrong man. Baytown, Texas - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Chief John Stringer announced an internal and criminal investigation after receiving allegations that one of its officers misused the Flock system. That officer subsequently resigned. Greenville County, South Carolina - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Dispatcher Lauren Wilkinson was fired for unspecified misuse of the Flock system. Greenville County, South Carolina - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former Deputy Richard Mann was fired for unspecified misuse of the Flock system. Moody, Alabama - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock According to Police Chief Reece Smith, a Moody officer was fired for misusing the Flock system. “There was no victim in this case,” the chief said, “but it was still a violation of the policy.” Richland County, South Carolina - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former Deputy Russell Kenton II was fired and arrested for using the Flock system for non-law enforcement purposes. Savannah, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of four unnamed officers put on leave and referred for a criminal investigation over improper Flock use, including searches involving acquaintances and family members. Savannah, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Matthew Rich was fired and charged with two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and one count of violation of oath of office. Savannah, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Donald Phillips was fired and charged with two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and one count of violation of oath of office. Savannah, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Marquis Dillard was fired charged with two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and one count of violation of oath of office. Savannah, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock One of two unnamed staffers put on leave and referred for a criminal investigation over improper Flock use, including searches involving acquaintances and family members. Savannah, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Calandic Thomas, a community service specialist with the police department, was fired and charged with two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system Reynoldsburg, Ohio - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Reynoldsville officer Alissa Birkhimer resigned in the midst of an investigation into possible Flock misuse. Henry County, Georgia - Date - July 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Henry County officer Patrick Isbell was fired and criminally charged after using license plate reader data “for non-law enforcement purposes.” Plymouth, Minnesota - Date - June 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Plymouth police tracked a different automobile writer for days and then detained him and his wife in a Kohl’s parking lot after a similar misread issue involving a Range Rover test vehicle. Scotts Bluff, Nebraska - Date - June 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Automobile journalist Tim Esterdahl was pulled over by police after misreading the license plate of a Range Rover test vehicle. Cherokee County, Georgia - Date - June 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deputy Cynthia Jodesty was fired and arrested after she improperly accessed a license plate reader database. Cherokee County, Georgia - Date - June 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Lieutenant Chris Bryant was fired and jailed for allegedly misusing the license plate reader database. Cherokee County, Georgia - Date - June 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Sargeant Mike Creeden was fired and jailed for allegedly misusing the license plate reader database. Statesboro, Georgia - Date - June 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Andrae Wright, a former Effingham County Sheriff’s Office employee and investigator with the Ogeechee Circuit District Attorney’s Office, was charged with stalking and other crimes for alleged misuse of the Flock system. Springville, Alabama - Date - June 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock An unnamed Springville officer resigned after an audit found that they looked up a family member’s vehicle. Charlotte, North Carolina - Date - June 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Seth Elliott was placed on leave and arrested for accessing Flock to look up an undercover investigator’s vehicle at the request of a drug suspect. Sparks, Nevada - Date - June 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock An EFF investigation found that Sparks Police Department receives “immigration violation” hot list alerts from ICE, despite internal policy prohibiting the Flock system from being used for immigration enforcement. Midgeville, Georgia - Date - June 2026 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Major Brandon Sellers was fired and criminally charged for misusing Flock camera data. Pasadena, Texas - Date - May 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Pasadena Sargeant Michael Palitz resigned while under investigation for allegedly misusing the department’s Flock camera system. Officials told news outlet KPRC 2 that Palitz was using the cameras to “track and stalk a female officer.” Amarillo, Texas - Date - April 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Christian Eder was fired and criminally charged after allegedly using Flock cameras to track a man he perceived as a romantic rival 76 times. Alpharetta, Georgia - Date - April 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock An internal investigation concluded that Patrolman Dustin Bozzo used the Flock system dozens of times to track the whereabouts of a former romantic partner employed by the police department, as well as another officer who he mistakenly perceived to be a romantic rival. Bozzo resigned and the case is now under criminal investigation. Cherry Hills, Colorado - Date - April 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock A Colorado driver was repeatedly pulled over after officers mistakenly put his license plate number on a Flock hotlist. Volusia County, Florida - Date - April 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Based on a Flock capture, officers mistook an innocent driver’s car for one that was at the scene of a deadly accident. The driver was jailed for 13 days. Gwinnett County, Georgia - Date - April 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Unspecified Officer Renee Downer was arrested and relieved of duty after allegedly using law enforcement databases, including a license plate reader system, to monitor the location of an ex-romantic partner. Conyers, Georgia - Date - April 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Paige Forte, a supervisor in the Conyers Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center, was fired and charged after allegedly using the Flock system to monitor her domestic partner’s location. Mauldin, South Carolina - Date - March 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Ellie Hammond was fired after using Flock cameras to track a former romantic partner 166 times. Sherwood, Arkansas - Date - February 2026 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock A Flock camera misread a digit on an innocent couple’s vehicle, prompting officers to pull the over and order them out of the car at gunpoint. Key West, Florida - Date - February 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Guardian Sheriff’s Deputy Lamar Roman allegedly used an ALPR system to track and eventually pull over a woman he had met while providing security on a TV set. Roman was arrested and charged with accessing a computer or electronic device without authorization. San Francisco, California - Date - February 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock A San Francisco officer violated the department’s conflict-of-interest policy by obtaining Flock images of a relative’s stolen car and posting them to Instagram. Richmond, Virginia - Date - January 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock The Richmond Police Department shared Flock data with the FBI, a violation of a departmental policy banning sharing with federal authorities. Reynoldsburg, Ohio - Date - January 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Reynoldsburg officer Mark Nichols resigned after an investigation found he searched for the license plates of a former domestic partner. Shively, Kentucky - Date - January 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Asad Zahir was suspended and is facing multiple criminal charges after allegedly searching the Flock system for his child’s mother thousands of times in the first several months of this year. Zahir was able to conduct the searches despite the woman having received an order of protection against him. Kingsville, Texas - Date - January 2026 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Detective Gabriel Garcia resigned in the midst of an investigation into an alleged 5,300 Flock searches “for personal reasons.” His surveillance targets included city officials in a nearby town who were in a relationship, one of whom he was also in a relationship with. Kettering, Ohio - Date - January 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Kettering’s Flock system was used 184 times in January for immigration-related searches, despite a vow from the police chief that the cameras wouldn’t be used for that reason. Shaker Heights, Ohio - Date - January 2026 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock For months, outside law enforcement agencies were using Shaker Heights’ cameras for immigration-related purposes, contrary to the city’s policy. Jackson County, Indiana - Date - December 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former deputy Skylar Thompson was fired and criminally charged for allegedly looking up his ex-girlfriend’s plate more than 2,000 times from January through August 2026. Boulder County, Colorado - Date - December 2025 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Another Colorado driver was repeatedly pulled over after officers mistakenly put her license plate number on a Flock hotlist. Greer, South Carolina - Date - December 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former Police Corporal Kareem Lynch was fired after an internal audit revealed he had allegedly used the department’s Flock system to monitor the whereabouts of a subordinate with whom he had a previous relationship. Statenville, Georgia - Date - December 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Anna Altobello, a secretary at the Echols County Sheriff’s Office, was charged with multiple offenses after allegedly using the Flock system to search for people she knew personally. Columbus, Ohio - Date - November 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Joseph Houseberg used the Flock system to investigate another driver with whom he was involved in a crash, in violation of department policy. San Diego, California - Date - November 2025 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Based on a Flock capture, officers mistook an innocent driver’s car for one that was at the scene of an attempted carjacking. The driver was jailed for nearly one month. Bonner Springs, Kansas - Date - November 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Detective Kyle Rector allegedly used license plate readers to track his estranged wife and two men he suspected were her new romantic partners. He was charged with multiple crimes in March 2026. Eagan, Minnesota - Date - November 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Out-of-state agencies were able to search Twin Cities suburbs’ license plate data for civil immigration enforcement, despite Minnesota law limiting such data to criminal cases only. Dunwoody, Georgia - Date - October 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Jessica Preston was fired after allegedly using the Flock system to look up the license plate of a man her colleague was romantically involved with, at the colleague’s request, due to concerns over her safety. Lenexa, Kansas - Date - October 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Unspecified Lenexa police allegedly used license plate readers to track the movements of a writer who wrote a column critical of them. Joplin, Missouri - Date - October 2025 - Camera - Flock Officer Kenneth Andersen resigned and was placed under investigation after allegedly improperly searching for a license plate number hundreds of times. Several months later he was criminally charged after investigators determined he was using police databases to monitor multiple girlfriends. Niceville, Florida - Date - October 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former Niceville Officer Coty Hall pleaded no contest to several charges after using the department’s Flock system to track another officer and that officer’s spouse. Hall’s misconduct was discovered via an internal audit; Hall was fired following his arrest in October 2025. Menasha, Wisconsin - Date - October 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Cristian Morales was placed on leave and charged with misconduct in office after his ex-girlfriend filed a complaint alleging that he used a Flock system to track her. Sandy Springs, Georgia - Date - October 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Reserve Sgt. Francis Esposito was fired after transferring Flock data to a private company he also worked for. Story County, Iowa - Date - October 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Authorities in Story County discovered that other police agencies had obtained access to their Flock data without permission in October 2025. Katy, Texas - Date - October 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Sergio Rodriguez was fired and indicted for allegedly using the Flock system to track his ex-partner more than 2,000 times over a period of 11 months. Fort Pierce, Florida - Date - October 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Fort Pierce officer Josepher Crutchfield was charged with four database misuse felonies after allegedly using the Flock system to track his ex-girlfriend hundreds of times. Crutchfield’s abuse of the system came to light after a media outlet contacted the department. Denver, Colorado - Date - September 2025 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock An officer misinterpreted Flock captures to blame an innocent woman for series of thefts. Prairie Grove, Illinois - Date - September 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer William C. Copp, who also served as the police chief of nearby Holiday Hills, was arrested after searching Flock for several former romantic partners and at least one of their new partners. Copp has been fired from his Prairie Grove position and his employment with Holiday Hills is under review. Kenosha County, Wisconsin - Date - September 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Sheriff’s Deputy Frank McGrath resigned with severance pay after internal investigators found he used the department’s Flock system to keep tabs on another deputy with whom he was romantically involved. He was charged with two felonies in August 2026. Jefferson County, Colorado - Date - August 2025 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Yet another Colorado driver was repeatedly pulled over after officers mistakenly put her license plate number on a Flock hotlist. Redmond, Washington - Date - August 2025 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock After data in the Flock system incorrectly linked a suspect’s vehicle to his innocent father, officers detained the wrong man. Racine County, Wisconsin - Date - August 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Racine County Sheriff’s Deputy Emil Ortiz was demoted and suspended for improperly using Flock to assist his girlfriend in a dispute with her ex-boyfriend. Springfield, Illinois - Date - August 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock An audit by the Illinois Secretary of State found that Customs and Border Protection gained access to Illinois license plate camera data, a violation of state law. Colleton County, South Carolina - Date - August 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Lt. Ruben Carter was fired after allegedly making 2,700 unauthorized Flock searches of himself, fellow deputies, and other people he knew. Porter County, Indiana - Date - August 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Porter County sheriff’s Lt. Michael Piazza was demoted, suspended without pay and barred from using the department’s Flock after an investigation found he conducted unauthorized searches with the Flock system. According to NWI.com reporting, the searches were related to a woman Piazza had been having an affair with. Revere, Massachusetts - Date - August 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Revere police officer Michael Tiso was temporarily suspended without pay for using the Flock system to track his former girlfriend. The abuse was discovered after the girlfriend filed a complaint with the police department. Richmond, Virginia - Date - July 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock The administrator of Richmond’s license plate reader system granted access to the system of an analyst with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. That analyst subsequently made searches for immigration enforcement in violation of department policy. Richmond County, Georgia - Date - July 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Investigator Curtis Hopkins was one of three Richmond County sheriff’s officers arrested in July after allegedly misusing the Flock system more than 100 times each. According to sources interviewed by the Augusta Press, some of the searches allegedly involved tracking women. Richmond County, Georgia - Date - July 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Lieutenant John McKenzie was one of three Richmond County sheriff’s officers arrested in July after allegedly misusing the Flock system more than 100 times each. According to sources interviewed by the Augusta Press, some of the searches allegedly involved tracking women. Richmond County, Georgia - Date - July 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deputy Joshua Johnson was one of three Richmond County sheriff’s officers arrested in July after allegedly misusing the Flock system more than 100 times each. According to sources interviewed by the Augusta Press, some of the searches allegedly involved tracking women. Joliet, Illinois - Date - July 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Lieutenant Jeremy Harrison was fired from the agency after using Flock cameras to track the location of a female officer. Jerome County, Idaho - Date - July 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Sheriff George Oppedyk used a Flock system to search for his wife’s vehicle hundreds of times. Idaho’s Attorney General concluded that no crime was committed, but Oppedyk retired in April 2026, two years before his term of office ended. Winnebago County, Illinois - Date - July 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Unspecified Former Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Bryan was charged with stalking and official misconduct after allegedly using the department’s ALPR system to monitor the locations of an ex-girlfriend and her new partner. The misconduct came to light after the victims filed for an order of protection against Bryan. Richmond County, Georgia - Date - June 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former Deputy Jaquarius Yarbrough was arrested after allegedly using the Flock system to track the license plate of a woman he’d been having an affair with 1,639 times over several months. Berkeley, Illinois - Date - June 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Terrance Mastrino resigned in the middle of an investigation into alleged misuse of the Flock system triggered by an individual who had discovered their plate had been looked up on HaveIBeenFlocked. Athens, Georgia - Date - June 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Athens-Clarke County Police Department intelligence analyst Nick Barker was fired and referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for potential criminal charges after allegedly tracking his ex-wife multiple times in 2025. Greer, South Carolina - Date - May 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former Greer Officer Sebastian Echeverry was fired after allegedly using the department’s Flock system for personal use. According to FITSNews reporting, “at least one of Echeverry’s unauthorized searches allegedly targeted his ex-girlfriend.” Johnson County, Texas - Date - May 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock An officer with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office ran a nationwide Flock search for a woman suspected of having an abortion. Sarasota, Florida - Date - May 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former Sarasota officer Cory Waiters was fired and arrested after an investigation determined he looked up a license plate hundreds of times for a non-law enforcement reason. The investigation was prompted by a query from a reporter. Waukesha County, Wisconsin - Date - May 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Multiple Waukesha County deputies performed more than 100 Flock searches of Napoleon Jones’ car, allegedly in retaliation for Jones filing a complaint against one of the deputies. Akron, Ohio - Date - April 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock An Akron Police Department analyst and officer tracked a prominent activist who had been critical of police using “activist recording” as the reason for the search, which violated department policy Louisville, Kentucky - Date - March 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Roberto Cedeno was charged with multiple felonies after allegedly using the city’s ALPR system to track an ex-partner and her friends hundreds of times over two months. Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Date - March 2025 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Josue Ayala allegedly used the department’s network of Flock ALPRs to track a woman he was dating and her ex-partner nearly 180 times over a two-month period. Ayala resigned in 2026 after being charged with misconduct in public office. Cumberland, Rhode Island - Date - March 2025 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock A woman filed an unlawful arrest lawsuit against the town after officers attempted to use a Flock photo to identify a driver of a car they were pursuing, and subsequently arrested the wrong person. Oak Ridge, Tennessee - Date - February 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former Officer Zachary Gauthier received 23 charges of official misconduct for misusing data systems, including Flock license plate readers, for personal reasons. East Cleveland, Ohio - Date - February 2025 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Latasha Moore allegedly used a license plate reader system to find the location of someone with whom she was in a “personal relationship.” Louisville, Kentucky - Date - February 2025 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock A Louisville detective was disciplined after sharing his Flock login with a DEA agent in violation of city policy. Matteson, Illinois - Date - December 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock According to internal documents obtained by stopflock.org, Officer Jaila Cole-Clark ran hundreds of Flock searches for her former domestic partner and that individual’s new partner. Cole-Clark resigned from department in the middle of the investigation. Tulsa, Oklahoma - Date - December 2024 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock According to an investigation by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, police agencies across the country logged hundreds of searches related to political protests between December 2024 and October 2025. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Date - December 2024 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock According to public records obtained by DeFlock OKC, Oklahoma City Sergeant Keenan Heskett received a three-day suspension after searching the Flock database for personal reasons over a period of several months. The police department investigated Heskett’s Flock use after receiving a complaint from a member of the public. Chatham County, Georgia - Date - December 2024 - Camera - Flock In August 2026, an unnamed Chatham County officer resigned after being questioned about alleged misuse of the Flock system that occurred in late 2024 and early 2025. Louisville, Kentucky - Date - November 2024 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock In September 2026 Louisville officer Wesley Troutman, who had previously been disciplined for sharing his Flock login with a DEA agent, was again put under investigation for allegedly searching for a colleague’s vehicle. Highland Heights, Ohio - Date - October 2024 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock A part-time Highland Heights dispatcher resigned amid allegations of improperly using the Flock system thousands of times over a period of several years. Haines City, Florida - Date - September 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Haines City officer Christopher Goodson was put on leave and arrested after an investigation revealed he searched the Flock database for his estranged wife’s car more than 700 times between September 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026. West Chester, Ohio - Date - August 2024 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Former officer Michelle Berling was sentenced to five years of probation after allegedly tampering with Flock data and images. Shelby County, Tennessee - Date - August 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Unspecified Deputy Thadius Gordon was relieved of duty after allegedly using an ALPR database to track his ex-wife’s location more than 100 times. San Francisco, California - Date - August 2024 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock Out-of-state authorities ran more than 1.6 million searches of the city’s license plate reader data, including searches for immigration enforcement purposes, which are illegal under state law. Lafayette, Indiana - Date - July 2024 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Officers detained an innocent man at gunpoint after a Flock camera misread his license plate. Braselton, Georgia - Date - July 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Police Chief Michael Steffman was arrested after allegedly using license plate readers to stalk and harass multiple people, including a former romantic partner. Steffman resigned shortly before his arrest. Morristown, Tennessee - Date - June 2024 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock After a Flock camera misread an “O” as a “0,” officers detained two grandparents at gunpoint while their three-year-old granddaughter watched from the car. Riverside County, California - Date - June 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock After being arrested for kidnapping his ex-fiance, Deputy Alexander Vanny allegedly used the department’s Flock system to track one of her friends. In December 2025 he was convicted of multiple charges in a jury trial. Orange City, Florida - Date - June 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Jarmarus Brown allegedly used ALPRs to stalk his girlfriend and her family members more than 100 times over seven months. Brown was arrested and charged in 2025. Houston, Texas - Date - June 2024 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock An analysis by the Houston Chronicle found that the overwhelming majority of Flock searches by Houston Police Department employees offered minimal or no justification for the search. Polk County, Georgia - Date - June 2024 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former officer Tracey Royston was arrested and criminally charged after allegedly using another department’s Flock system for non-law enforcement purposes. Dallas, Georgia - Date - June 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Heidi Taylor, the former 911 director for the Dallas, Georgia police department, was arrested and charged with misuse of a license plate reader system after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found that she accessed the Flock system “for reasons unrelated to law enforcement between 2024 and 2025.” Stow, Massachusetts - Date - June 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock The Stow Police Department placed officer Jason Rogers on unpaid leave and filed a criminal complaint against him after Rogers allegedly used Flock and other databases to stalk a former romantic partner who said she had changed her identity to escape from his abuse. The victim discovered Rogers had been stalking her by using the HaveIBeenFlocked website. Chesterton, Indiana - Date - June 2024 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Former Chesterton police corporal Christopher Schoof resigned after learning he was under investigation for alleged misuse of the Flock system. The alleged misuse came to light after a new agency noticed irregularities in HaveIBeenFlocked data and contacted the police department. North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - Date - May 2024 - Type - Error - Camera - Unspecified Officers misidentified a vehicle based on an ALPR alert, detaining an innocent teenager at gunpoint. Toledo, Ohio - Date - April 2024 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock After a Flock camera misread a “7” as a “2,” officers detained an innocent driver at gunpoint, sicced their dog on him, and jailed him for several hours. Coffee County, Georgia - Date - April 2024 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Former Coffee County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Rozar was charged with multiple criminal offenses after allegedly using the department’s Flock system to stalk a woman he was romantically interested in. Rozar resigned several weeks into the investigation. York County, South Carolina - Date - February 2024 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock An innocent motorist was detained at gunpoint after a Flock ALPR misread a character on his license plate, flagging the car as stolen. The sheriff’s office claimed the misread was due to a tinted license plate cover. Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Date - January 2024 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Detective Tehrangi Chapman was charged with misconduct after allegedly using the Flock system to track the movements of two people over a period of one year. His abuse came to light after he was assigned to investigate the misconduct of Josue Ayala, another Milwaukee officer charged with misusing the system. Columbus, Ohio - Date - November 2023 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Officer Melvin Tellis was relieved of duty after allegedly searching for the same license plate hundreds of times between November 2023 and December 2024. The city of Columbus paused its Flock program after Tellis’ misuse was discovered. Sedgwick County, Kansas - Date - October 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock After a Flock camera failed to distinguish between temporary and permanent license plates, sheriff’s deputies detained an innocent couple at gunpoint. Sedgwick, Kansas - Date - October 2023 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Police Chief Lee Nygaard resigned after using Flock cameras to track his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend more than 200 times over several months. Cherokee County, Georgia - Date - October 2023 - Type - Non Law-Enforcement Use - Camera - Flock Deputy Jerry Shellhouse was fired and charged for alleged improper use of the Flock system starting in October 2023. Detroit, Michigan - Date - September 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Unspecified Officers misinterpreted ALPR data and detained an innocent woman at gunpoint, put her autistic child in the back seat of a police car, and impounded her vehicle for several weeks. Houston, Texas - Date - August 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Officers misinterpreated a Flock alert and detained two innocent men at gunpoint. Fayetteville, North Carolina - Date - July 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Rekor Officers misinterpreted ALPR data and detained an innocent woman at gunpoint. Espanola, New Mexico - Date - July 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock After a Flock camera misread a digit of their license plate, officers detained two innocent sisters at gunpoint. Espanola, New Mexico - Date - July 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock After officers entered incorrect information into the ALPR system, officers detained an innocent teenager at gunpoint. Dayton, Ohio - Date - July 2023 - Type - Other Misuse - Camera - Flock More than 140 law enforcement agencies nationwide accessed Dayton’s Flock camera system for immigration-related searches over a period of several years, despite such searches not being allowed under city policy. Costa Mesa, California - Date - June 2023 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Officer Robert Josett used a Flock camera system to track his mistress and her other romantic interests. Josett pleaded guilty to multiple criminal charges in April 2026. Jackson Township, Ohio - Date - March 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock After officers failed to remove a license plate from a hot list, they pulled over and detained an innocent driver. Roseville, California - Date - January 2023 - Type - Error - Camera - Flock Flock sent 1,427 alerts to Roseville police over two years, flagging cars as stolen or used in a felony. In 71% of them, the cameras read the plates incorrectly. Kechi, Kansas - Date - October 2022 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock Kechi Lieutenant Victor Heiar pleaded guilty to computer crime and stalking after using Flock cameras to track his estranged wife. Charlotte, North Carolina - Date - July 2022 - Type - Error - Camera - NDI An ALPR hit led to an innocent woman’s arrest after officers entered incorrect information into the license plate reader system. Greenville, South Carolina - Date - February 2022 - Type - Error - Camera - Unspecified After officers failed to remove a recovered rental vehicle from a hot list, officers detained two innocent women after they drove past a license plate camera. Fort Bend County, Texas - Date - January 2022 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Flock A Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant used Flock cameras to monitor the locations of multiple people dozens of times starting January 2022. One of those people was in a “contentious familial relationship” with the lieutenant. The lieutenant was suspended for two days. Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania - Date - September 2021 - Type - Stalking - Camera - Unspecified Officer Michael McSherry pleaded guilty to stalking charges after using readers to track his estranged wife and other family members. Atherton, California - Date - April 2021 - Type - Error - Camera - Unspecified After an ALPR misread a license plate that was partially obscured by dirt, officers detained the driver at gunpoint. Aurora, Colorado - Date - August 2020 - Type - Error - Camera - Unspecified After an ALPR misread a minivan’s license plate, officers detained a woman and four children at gunpoint. Hercules, California - Date - November 2018 - Type - Error - Camera - Vigilant After officers failed to update a hot list about a stolen rental vehicle that had been recovered, a Vigilant ALPR flagged the vehicle and the driver and his brother were detained at gunpoint. No incidents match the selected filters. Methodology Incidents of abuse were identified using media reports and public records. Incidents involving vehicle-mounted ALPR systems, speed cameras, red light cameras and toll cameras are not included: only stationary, always-on ALPR systems are included due to the unique risks they pose. Dates reflect when the misuse began, if known, or when it was first publicly reported. Category definitions Stalking – incidents in which an officer used an ALPR system to track the location of a romantic partner (current, former, or prospective), a romantic rival, or a family member. Error – incidents in which an ALPR camera misread a vehicle’s plate, or an officer misinterpreted ALPR data. Non-law-enforcement use – incidents in which an officer misused an ALPR system in a personal or otherwise unspecified manner. Other misuse – incidents involving policy violations, unauthorized data sharing, and other miscellaneous forms of abuse. Is Government Tracking Your Every Move? IJ is fighting to restore constitutional limits on surveillance — for every American. More on License Plate Readers License Plate Readers Institute for Justice Unveils New Database Tracking Cancelations of License Plate Reader Contracts License Plate Readers Police Have Reportedly Used License Plate Readers to Stalk Romantic Interests Dozens of Times in Recent Years License Plate Readers