MEDIA ARTICLE: Police Accused of Misusing Flock Cameras Across 12 States (Newsweek, 7-31-26)

News Article

Police Accused of Misusing Flock Cameras Across 12 States

Published Jul 30, 2026 at 10:09 AM EDT

updated Jul 31, 2026 at 04:45 AM EDT

 

By Alice Gibbs

Senior Reporter

Police officers in at least 12 states have faced allegations of misusing Flock Safety license plate reader systems, according to a Newsweek review of recent criminal cases, internal investigations and disciplinary actions.

The cases span Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin, and include allegations that officers improperly accessed license plate data for personal purposes, including tracking romantic partners, relatives or acquaintances.

Flock Safety's automated license plate reader network continues to expand across the United States. The technology is used by thousands of law enforcement agencies to identify stolen vehicles, locate missing persons and generate investigative leads.

The allegations come amid a broader national debate over Flock Safety's rapidly expanding network of license plate reader cameras. The technology has faced growing scrutiny from lawmakers, civil liberties groups and local governments, with some communities moving to reject or remove Flock systems and several Republican lawmakers calling for tighter restrictions on their use.

Garrett Langley, Flock Safety's founder and CEO, said the recent cases were concerning but argued they also demonstrate that oversight systems are working.

"It's a disappointing story when I see it, but I also go, look, this is working," Langley said in a statement sent to Newsweek. "This is showing that if you use a tool like Flock or other tools, you should be held accountable, regardless of whether you have a badge or you don't."

Georgia Has Become a Major Flashpoint

Several of the most prominent recent cases have emerged from Georgia, where audits and internal reviews have led to a series of arrests and firings involving officers accused of improperly accessing license plate reader databases.

Authorities have announced cases involving agencies in Albany, Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Greene County and Fayetteville.

DeKalb County authorities recently announced the arrest of former Sgt. Kabiru Salawu following an investigation into alleged unauthorized use of the agency's Flock system. "The public expects and deserves integrity from every member of this agency," Sheriff Melody Maddox said after the arrest of Salawu. "The misuse of law enforcement technology or confidential information for any unauthorized purpose is a serious breach of the public's trust and will not be tolerated."

Cases Continue to Surface in Other States

Recent allegations have also emerged elsewhere in the country.

In North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Seth Elliott was arrested after investigators alleged he conducted an unauthorized license plate query using the Flock system and the state's CJLEADS database.

CMPD Chief Estella Patterson said misuse of law enforcement technology represented "a betrayal of the public's trust and a violation of everything this profession stands for." She added that anyone found to have violated that trust would be held accountable.

Court documents filed this week outline additional allegations, stating that Elliott looked up an undercover officer’s license plate information in both Flock and CJLEADS and passed it to the subject of a drug investigation in Watauga County.

According to an affidavit, an alleged dealer had grown suspicious of a buyer and asked Elliott to run the plate; investigators say Elliott did so, learned the buyer was an undercover officer, and then relayed that information back to the dealer. CMPD confirmed Elliott is now on unpaid administrative leave.

In Alabama, separate investigations in Moody and Springville resulted in one officer being terminated and another resigning after audits found alleged violations involving license plate reader systems. Officials in both departments said the matters were referred to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Springville Police Chief Jason Mize told Newsweek that the officer in his department had used the system "for personal use on a family member" and that the family member was notified. He added that members of the department have been reminded of best practice use of Flock systems and added: "Flock cameras are a very good, useful tool for us in crime fighting. I hate to see that something like this has happened."

Other recent cases have involved a former Orange City officer in Florida accused of using the system to monitor a romantic interest, as well as a former Costa Mesa police officer, Robert Jay Josett, in California who pleaded guilty after prosecutors alleged he used Flock technology and other law enforcement databases to track a woman with whom he had a relationship.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the case demonstrated the risks posed when officials misuse sensitive databases. "No one should have to live in fear of being tracked through law enforcement databases by someone with a badge and a gun because they decided to call off a romantic relationship," Spitzer said following Josett's guilty plea.

In Kansas, former Kechi Police Lt. Victor Heiar was convicted after authorities said he used Flock technology to track his estranged wife. Current Police Chief Braden Moore, who was not with the department at the time, told Newsweek: "The system should have never been used in that capacity." Moore added that while the agency no longer has access to Flock systems, "Flock is an amazing tool for law enforcement to catch and track the criminal element, but I also believe that there is great responsibility for agencies that use the system."

Backlash And Risk Warnings

Civil liberties advocates argue that the recent cases raise broader concerns about access to vehicle-tracking databases, while lawmakers in several states have pushed for stricter oversight of automated license plate reader systems and the data they collect.

Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky recently introduced legislation that would deny certain federal funding to law enforcement agencies that use Flock Safety license plate readers, arguing that mass collection of vehicle location data raises significant privacy concerns. At the state level, several Republican lawmakers have also proposed legislation aimed at limiting data retention, restricting sharing agreements or increasing transparency around license plate reader use.

Michael Soyfer, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, said the growing number of cases suggests the problem extends far beyond a handful of rogue officers. He told Newsweek that recent scandals are "clearly part of a broader pattern and probably just the tip of the iceberg," pointing to years of limited oversight over license plate reader databases. According to Soyfer, many departments only began uncovering misuse after introducing audits of officer searches, leading to a surge in identified cases. "Given that officers typically only enter vague reasons for their searches, like 'investigation' or 'criminal justice,' there is almost certainly much more abuse that never gets caught," he said.

"Letting the police police themselves doesn't work," Soyfer said, arguing that stronger legal protections are needed.

Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, previously told Mother Jones that location-tracking systems can expose highly sensitive information about people's lives. "The tracking of an individual vehicle, as it moves throughout an area, can reveal very deeply personal and private information, not only about the vehicle but the person operating it. That is Flock at its most dangerous," Marlow said.

Langley said the company created its Audit Assistance Tool after hearing calls for greater accountability. "We heard from customers, loud and clear. We heard from communities, loud and clear. Flock should do more. There should be more responsibility, more accountability built in," he said.

Newsweek has contacted key agencies named in this article for comment.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Emma Lee-Sang

Update 07/30/26, 10:20 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Flock and additional police forces.

 https://www.newsweek.com/flock-camera-police-arrests-12263782

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MEDIA ARTICLE: Another Georgia cop accused of misusing Flock data in growing trend (USA TODAY, 7-21-26)

 

Another Georgia cop accused of misusing Flock data in growing trend

Irene Wright

USA TODAY

July 21, 2026, 10:22 a.m. ET

A DeKalb County deputy accused of misusing Flock Safety camera data adds to a growing list of law enforcement officers charged with violating their oath.

Sgt. Kabiru Salawu, a 17-year veteran of the agency, was fired and arrested for unauthorized use of Flock license plate reader technology, the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office announced Friday.

The agency said the misuse was identified during an internal probe, and Salawu was immediately terminated following the discovery. Salawu was charged with misuse of license plate data and felony violation of oath of office.

"The public expects and deserves integrity from every member of the agency," Sheriff Melody Maddox said in a statement. 

"The misuse of law enforcement technology or confidential information for any unauthorized purpose is a serious breach of the public's trust and will not be tolerated. 

When misconduct is identified, we act swiftly, hold those responsible accountable, and remain committed to the highest ethical standards."

The agency did not release which data Salawu accessed or for what purpose.

DeKalb deputy adds to concerning trend in Georgia

The arrest of the DeKalb deputy adds to a growing list of law enforcement officials who have been caught abusing the license plate data they have been given access to and tasked with protecting.

Earlier in July, five officers with the Albany Police Department were accused of using Flock camera data for personal searches, according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation report. 

The police department requested GBI when an internal audit exposed the misuse. The officers were charged with misuse of license plate data and violation of oath of office.

Tytianna Davis, 27, faces six counts, Jade Jackson, 32, faces three counts, Nicholas Richardson, 30, faces 12 counts, Brittney Smith, 23, faces two counts, and Issac Whitus, 24, faces three counts, and all were terminated by Albany Police.

Four officers in Richmond County have faced the same charges in recent weeks, along with three police officers in Fayetteville, a deputy in Greene County and three deputies in Cherokee County.

It brings the total arrests of law enforcement for license plate misuses in Georgia to 17 in the past few months.

Flock camera data leads to arrest in DeKalb

At the same time the data is being misused by law enforcement, it is still leading to arrests in the same communities.

DeKalb County Police responded to a shots fired call in a parking lot near Martins Crossing and Hemingway Road on the afternoon of May 18, and found a woman who had been shot in her vehicle, according to a Flock Safety news release on July 20.

The woman had been shot multiple times and tried to drive away before crashing a short distance later. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

Flock Safety says the company's cameras in DeKalb County were used to identify the alleged shooter's vehicle, and it was then tracked to a nearby street. The vehicle was approached by SWAT and the shooter was apprehended without further incident.

"Cases like this reflect how Flock's technology is designed to work: giving investigators real leads quickly while upholding rigorous standards for privacy and responsible use," the company said.

Flock says audit system is working as intended

Flock Safety, and Atlanta-based company, issued a statement following the arrest of the Albany officers, saying the case proves their system works to hold law enforcement accountable.

"According to public reporting and investigators, Flock's audit records played a key role in identifying and documenting the unauthorized searches," according to the statement. 

"While the incident has prompted renewed discussion about public safety technology, Flock believes it demonstrates the importance of designing systems with accountability built in."

The company says the Flock system records who accesses information, when the search was conducted, what information was gathered and what case is associated with the information search, making it clear when a search was not directly tied to investigative work.

"Technology doesn't create misconduct. People do," Paige Todd, co-founder of Flock Safety, said in the statement. "The question isn't whether someone will attempt to misuse technology. The question is whether the technology is designed to expose that misuse and help agencies hold bad actors accountable."

In recorded comments sent to USA TODAY from Flock Safety, company co-founder and CEO Garrett Langley called the recent arrests "disappointing," but they show anyone using license plate readers "should be held accountable."

"We heard from customers loud and clear, we heard from communities loud and clear, Flock should do more. There should be more responsibility, more accountability built in," Langley said, applauding the company's recently launched internal audit program.

"The way the audit assistance tool works is very similar to how your bank account when you log in from a new city when you're traveling says 'hey, I want to double check who you are.' 

It's not saying that you've done something wrong, it's just saying that this is abnormal," Langley said. "(The tool) is flagging potential abnormal activity so that in an audit review you can know where to start."

Langley said the company has built in accountability since it's inception nine years ago, but it has been "more effective than anyone expected."

Opponents say Flock cameras come at a cost

Opponents of the Flock Camera technology say even with the arrests, the expansion of the cameras both in Georgia and across the country comes at too high a cost.

DeFlock Atlanta, a group that focuses on "4th amendment privacy and ALPR awareness" in Atlanta, places signs underneath Flock Cameras that alert drivers their "movements have just been logged into a private, searchable database," according to the signs. 

The group states that profiles are created on vehicles and their drivers whether they are committing a crime or not, and that once the cameras are in place in your community there is no going back.

DeFlock, a national organization, says automated license plate readers (ALPRs or LPRs) are "AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car's location, date, and time" and collect the data (which includes identifying details like dents or bumper stickers) "regardless or whether the driver is suspected of a crime."

"These systems are marketed as indispensable tools to fight crime, but they ignore the powerful tools police already have to track criminals, such as cell phone data, creating a loophole that doesn't require a warrant," the organization alleges. 

The group opposes a wide variety of ALPRs, but notes Flock Safety is the largest ALPR vendor in the United States, and is used not only by law enforcement but also private businesses and homeowners associations.

Data from Flock Cameras are also uploaded to the company's cloud system, which DeFlock says can be used to search and share data across multiple jurisdictions or between Flock customers.

Officials in Barrow County are investigating felony vandalism of Flock cameras as distrust of the technology grows across the state. 

Aside from individual citizens concerned about their own data, communities also worry the data could be accessed by government organizations like ICE and used to track and ambush immigrants in their neighborhoods, or to keep tabs on their community.

"We support over 7,000 law enforcement agencies, over a million crimes a year. Our responsibility to safeguard that technology has gone up," Langley said.

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/state/georgia/atlanta/2026/07/21/veteran-atlanta-deputy-adds-to-growing-list-of-ga-cops-misusing-flock/90992565007/

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MEDIA ARTICLE: ‘Appalled.’ FWC looks at its critics’ info in database meant for criminal probes By David Goodhue Updated July 18, 2026 10:20 AM (The Miami Herald, 7-18-26)

The Miami Herald confirmed that Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission employees pulled 12 people’s records multiple times since 2023 and almost always cited ‘criminal investigation’ as the reason. Scott Berson

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY 

‘Appalled.’ FWC looks at its critics’ info in database meant for criminal probes By David Goodhue Updated July 18, 2026 10:20 AM

By David Goodhue

Updated July 18, 2026 10:20 AM

A group of citizens with a history of criticizing the state agency that enforces conservation laws and boater safety recently discovered that agency employees have been pulling sensitive personal information about them from a state database designated for police to use in criminal investigations.

The Miami Herald confirmed that Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission employees pulled 12 people’s records multiple times since 2023 and almost always cited “criminal investigation” as the reason.

The records were in the Driver and Vehicle Information Database, known as DAVID. The system contains people’s driving records and other sensitive information like their Social Security numbers, medical disability records, addresses, signatures and emergency contacts. 

Only authorized people, usually law-enforcement officers, can pull DAVID records, and there needs to be an official reason to do so. 

In the section of the form explaining the reason for pulling the data from 12 activists’ DAVID files, the FWC employees stated: “Criminal Investigation,” according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports seen by the Miami Herald. 

The employees who have conducted the searches all work as criminal intelligence analysts for the FWC. “I am totally appalled. To be under criminal investigation because we are advocating for the environment is outrageous,” said Sandra Moise, a 60-year-old educator who has long advocated for a variety of environmental causes, especially for the rookery of Biscayne Bay. 

Like the other activists whose DAVID files have been accessed by FWC, Moise has also been critical of the way FWC’s seven commissioners are appointed by the governor, saying the group prioritized development interests over conservation of natural resources.

Another activist discovered that the FWC had pulled his DAVID file, citing a criminal investigation. After finding out his records were accessed, he told other activists, who requested information on who pulled their DAVID records from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and that’s how Moise and others learned they also were being looked into by FWC. 

“I was shocked. It’s rather nerve-wracking to learn you’re under criminal investigation, and you’re not sure why you’re being investigated,” Moise said. 

“It’s a violation of our First Amendment rights. They’ve clearly crossed the line.” 

When the Miami Herald asked FWC why the agency was using DAVID to check the activists’ records, a spokesperson responded with an email saying it was done to protect participants at commission meetings and staff at FWC offices. 

“The FWC welcomes and values feedback from stakeholders at its public meetings. The FWC Division of Law Enforcement is committed to anticipating potential threats, continuously monitoring safety and security conditions, and implementing appropriate measures to provide a safe, secure, and orderly environment for all participants at public meetings and for employees, visitors, and other occupants of any FWC facility.”

Col. Alberto Maza, FWC’s director of law enforcement, told the Miami Herald that none of the activists was under criminal investigation, and that the people’s records were pulled as a precaution for the safety of FWC employees and anyone else attending meetings. 

“We would have been interviewing these people and talking to them, and we haven’t,” Maza said. 

He said that because the analysts categorized the reason for checking DAVID as “criminal investigation,” the search confirmation was “taken out of context.” 

Maza said the agency is looking into whether officers and analysts have more options to categorize searches other than saying they are for a criminal investigation. 

Moe DeWitt is an Orlando personal injury attorney who successfully litigated cases that involved DAVID abuse and helped lead to a law overhauling access to the system five years ago. 

He said anyone searching it must have a legitimate reason to do so. Speaking out at meetings or posting non-threatening comments on social media doesn’t qualify, DeWitt said.

“It all boils down to whether it’s a legitimate criminal investigation, and it sounds like it’s probably not,” DeWitt said.

Many of the activists whose records were searched opposed Florida’s approval of a hunt for bears. Barb Elkin Getty Images/iStockphoto Other than Moise, the other people confirmed to have been searched through DAVID by the FWC were critics of the state’s controversial bear hunt, which was approved by commissioners last August.

The activists packed FWC meetings leading up to the vote and subsequent meetings deciding the rules of the one-month hunt — the first in Florida since 2015. There were also social-media groups that hounded commissioners and sought to sink the hunt. 

Rodney Barreto, chairman of the FWC, told the Miami Herald that while no one whose information was accessed by the agency is under criminal investigation, commissioners received threats, some violent, during the course of the bear-hunt debate, so some people who signed up to speak at the meetings were checked. 

“When people sign up to speak, their names are checked,” Barreto said. “That’s all.” In the end, 172 permits were allocated to hunters, who killed 52 bears in December, according to the FWC’s website. Katrina Shadix, 58, who grew up hunting with her uncle in the Orlando area, was among the most outspoken critics of the hunt, calling it a “callous” way of trimming the state’s bear population.

Shadix found out last month that FWC had searched her DAVID information 17 times between 2023 and 2025. 

In almost all of the searches, FWC employees cited she was under criminal investigation, according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles report obtained by the Herald. In October 2025, an FWC employee used the system to search Shadix’s vehicle, her photograph and signature and her driver’s license transaction data, according to the report. 

“I was shocked. It leveled up my concern for my safety regarding what the FWC was willing to do to silence me,” Shadix told the Herald. “They’re willing to break the law to silence their opposition who are trying to speak truth to power.” 

Bruce Rogow, a constitutional-law attorney and founding professor of the Nova Southeastern University of Law Center, said looking into someone’s information that is already public record might have been acceptable for FWC to have done. But using a database to get otherwise private details is not. 

“What is under public records searches is one thing. ... Digging deeper is quite another, and a government agency doesn’t have a fishing license to delve without a strong reason into private information,” Rogow said.

The man who first discovered FWC was pulling activists’ DAVID files is Brent Fannin, who has been leading a movement to reform the way commissioners are appointed by the governor, aiming to require more candidates to have backgrounds in science and the environment. Fannin, 38, helped write a bill that has been stalled in the Legislature for the past two sessions and would “revise the composition” of the FWC’s commissioners. 

This session, the bill died in March in the state Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee. He told the Herald that after finding out that FWC was accessing his DAVID records, he was concerned, but not surprised. “It’s just kind of blowing my mind that they are so confident they can get away with anything they want, that they are willing to abuse their power to surveil a bunch of Instagramers,” Fannin said. 

This story was originally published July 18, 2026 at 5:30 AM.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article316549333.html#storylink=cpy

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MEDIA ARTICLE: Flock AI License Plate Readers: Police Misuse Cases Emerge in June 2026 (UTICA Phoenix, 6-25-26)

Flock AI License Plate Readers: Police Misuse Cases Emerge in June 2026

ByDavid Laguerre

June 25, 2026

Multiple U.S. police officers have been arrested for using Flock AI license plate reader systems to stalk romantic partners, with investigators identifying at least 18 confirmed cases nationwide. A June 2026 report from Tom’s Hardware brought renewed attention to this pattern, which sits alongside separate revelations about unauthorized data sharing, public data leaks, and AI misreads that have put Flock Safety under intense scrutiny this year.

What Is Flock Safety and Why Are These Misuse Cases Alarming?

Flock Safety is an Atlanta-based company that sells automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras to police departments, homeowners associations, and municipalities across the country. The cameras capture plate numbers, vehicle descriptions, and location data, feeding that information into a searchable database that law enforcement can query in real time.

The system is now one of the most widely deployed surveillance tools in American policing. That scale is exactly what makes the pattern of misuse documented in the Flock AI License Plate Readers: Police Misuse Cases Emerge in June 2026 coverage so concerning.

Why it matters: When officers can query a system that tracks where any vehicle has been, that power can easily be turned against private citizens, including ex-partners, neighbors, or anyone an officer wants to monitor without a warrant.

How Are Officers Misusing Flock to Stalk Romantic Partners?

The core abuse is straightforward and deeply troubling. Officers log into the Flock system using their legitimate department credentials, then run searches on vehicles belonging to people they have personal relationships with, often ex-partners or people they are in conflict with outside of work.

According to a 2026 report from Tom’s Hardware, investigators have confirmed at least 18 such cases across multiple U.S. jurisdictions [7]. Officers in these cases were arrested, fired, or placed under investigation after audits revealed searches that had no legitimate law enforcement purpose.

The pattern looks like this:

• Officer runs repeated queries on a specific plate number
• Searches occur outside normal duty hours or without an associated case number
• The plate belongs to a person the officer knows personally
• No criminal investigation justifies the search

This is not a one-state problem. Cases have surfaced in departments of varying sizes, from large urban forces to smaller suburban agencies [8][9][10].

“The same database designed to catch car thieves can become a real-time tracking tool for an abusive officer. That’s not a hypothetical. It’s already happened at least 18 times that we know of.” — synthesized from reporting at Tom’s Hardware [7] and Verity News [8]

What Did San Francisco’s Audit Reveal About Unauthorized Searches?

San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew disclosed on June 1, 2026, that an internal audit found 299 improper searches of the city’s Flock ALPR data. These searches were conducted on behalf of federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies over approximately one year [1].

SFPD characterized the 299 queries as roughly 0.005% of all Flock inquiries during the period. But the department also acknowledged this is likely a “statewide issue” affecting other California agencies using Flock, not just San Francisco [1].

What this means in plain terms:

• Local departments may be running searches for federal agencies, including immigration enforcement, without formal authorization
• The data is more portable and shareable than most residents realize
• Local elected officials and oversight bodies may not know this sharing is happening

This disclosure is expected to accelerate scrutiny of how Flock data flows beyond local control, particularly to federal entities whose enforcement priorities may not align with community values [1][3].

How Did 600,000 Unauthorized Searches Happen in Mountain View?

A separate incident in Mountain View, California, revealed that more than 250 external organizations had conducted roughly 600,000 searches using that city’s Flock data, all without local officials’ consent [6].

When city leaders discovered the scope of the unauthorized access, they deactivated 30 Flock cameras in February 2026 [6]. That’s a significant step, and it signals that at least some local governments are willing to pull the plug when they find out what’s actually happening with their data.

The Mountain View case also illustrates a structural problem: Flock’s network architecture may allow data from one city’s cameras to be queried by agencies far outside that city’s jurisdiction, without any notification to local officials.

Did Flock’s System Actually Leak Data Into Public Search Results?

Yes. Privacy advocates in Northern Colorado discovered that police license plate searches generated by Flock were appearing in public search engine results [6]. The exposed data included full plate numbers, case IDs, vehicle descriptions, and the stated reasons for investigation, including notations like “GTA” (grand theft auto).

 Flock acknowledged that around 70 URLs from 2024 to 2025 had been indexed by search engines before the company moved to remove them [6].

What was exposed:

Data Type	Risk Level
Full license plate numbers	High
Case IDs and investigation reasons	High
Vehicle descriptions and colors	Medium
Location and timestamp data	High

A public audit-log project called “Have Been F?” has documented 184,195,968 Flock searches covering 4,437,098 license plates [6]. That number alone illustrates the scale of what’s at stake if security or access controls fail.

Are Flock Cameras Also Making Mistakes That Harm Innocent People?

Separate from the misuse and data-sharing problems, Flock cameras have been documented misreading license plates, leading to innocent drivers being stopped by police [4][5]

When a camera misreads a plate and flags it as stolen or wanted, officers may conduct a traffic stop on a completely innocent driver. These stops can be frightening, especially for Black and Brown drivers who already face disproportionate police contact.

Business Insider and a Morristown, Tennessee, news outlet both reported on this pattern in early 2026 [4][5]. The AI is not infallible, and the consequences of its errors fall on ordinary people.

What Is the Broader Privacy and Civil Liberties Concern?

The cases documented under the Flock AI License Plate Readers: Police Misuse Cases Emerge in June 2026 umbrella are not isolated glitches. They reflect a systemic gap between how surveillance technology is sold to the public and how it actually operates.

Communities are told these cameras catch criminals. What they’re often not told:

• The data may be shared with federal immigration agencies [3]
• Outside organizations can potentially access local data without consent [6]
• Individual officers can query the system for personal reasons with limited oversight [7][8]
• The AI can misidentify plates and trigger stops of innocent people [4][5]

Several municipalities have already canceled or paused their Flock contracts, citing immigration surveillance concerns and data privacy risks [3].

Conclusion: What Can You Do About This Right Now?

The pattern documented in the Flock AI License Plate Readers: Police Misuse Cases Emerge in June 2026 coverage is a community accountability issue, not just a tech story. Here in upstate New York and across the Mohawk Valley region, many local governments are evaluating or already using ALPR technology. Residents have a right to know what’s happening with that data.

Actionable steps for concerned citizens:

1. Ask your local government directly. File a public records request asking whether your city, town, or county uses Flock Safety cameras and who has access to the data.
2. Attend a city council or county legislature meeting. Put surveillance oversight on the agenda. Demand written data-use policies before any new contracts are signed.
3. Contact your state representative. New York State has active conversations about surveillance oversight legislation. Your voice matters in that debate.
4. Support local journalism. Stories like this surface because reporters dig. Subscribe to and share outlets doing this work.
5. Talk to your neighbors. Community awareness is the first line of defense against unchecked surveillance expansion.

Police reform and criminal justice reform depend on communities staying informed and engaged. The technology moves fast. Oversight has to keep up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Flock Safety?
Flock Safety is a company that makes automated license plate reader cameras used by police departments and municipalities across the United States to track vehicles and assist in investigations.

How many officers have been caught misusing Flock to stalk people?
Investigators have confirmed at least 18 cases in the U.S. where officers were arrested, fired, or investigated for using Flock ALPR systems to stalk romantic partners [7].

What did San Francisco’s audit find?
San Francisco’s internal audit found 299 improper Flock searches conducted on behalf of federal and out-of-state agencies over roughly one year, which SFPD described as likely a statewide issue [1].

Can Flock data be accessed by agencies outside my city?
Yes. The Mountain View, California, case showed that more than 250 external organizations ran roughly 600,000 searches on that city’s Flock data without local officials’ knowledge or consent [6].

Did Flock actually leak data to the public internet?
Yes. Flock acknowledged that around 70 URLs containing sensitive search data were indexed by public search engines before the company worked to remove them [6].

Do Flock cameras make mistakes?
Yes. Documented cases show Flock cameras misreading license plates, which can lead to innocent drivers being stopped by police [4][5].

Have any cities canceled their Flock contracts?
Yes. Several municipalities have canceled or paused Flock contracts, primarily citing concerns about immigration surveillance and data privacy [3].

Is this a problem specific to one state?
No. Misuse cases have been documented across multiple U.S. jurisdictions, and the San Francisco audit suggests the data-sharing problem may be widespread across California and potentially other states [1][7].

What should I do if I think I was wrongly stopped because of a Flock misread?
Document the stop, request the officer’s name and badge number, and consult with a civil liberties attorney or your local ACLU chapter about your options.

Who oversees how Flock data is used?
Oversight varies by jurisdiction. Many departments lack formal written policies governing Flock data use, access logs, or sharing with outside agencies, which is a core part of the problem.

References

[1] Sfpd Flock License Plate Reader Data Searches 22310416 – https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfpd-flock-license-plate-reader-data-searches-22310416.php

[2] Ai Flock Cops Abuse Stalking Alpr – https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/6/10/800053236/tech/ai-flock-cops-abuse-stalking-alpr/

[3] Flock Contracts Canceled Immigration Survillance Concerns – https://www.npr.org/2026/02/17/nx-s1-5612825/flock-contracts-canceled-immigration-survillance-concerns

[4] Flock Safetys Ai Cameras Misread Plates Innocent People Pay – https://nationaltoday.com/us/tn/morristown/news/2026/03/09/flock-safetys-ai-cameras-misread-plates-innocent-people-pay/

[5] Flock Safety Alpr Cameras Misreads 2026 3 – https://www.businessinsider.com/flock-safety-alpr-cameras-misreads-2026-3

[6] 4705284467411 Police License Plate Searches Leak Into Public Search Results Through Flock Safety Urls – https://www.newsbreak.com/gadget-review-324582152/4705284467411-police-license-plate-searches-leak-into-public-search-results-through-flock-safety-urls

[7] Several Police Officers Arrested For Using Controversial Flock Ai License Plate Reader System To Stalk Romantic Partners Says Report Investigators Have Unearthed At Least 18 Such Cases In The Us Over Recent Years – https://www.tomshardware.com/software/security-software/several-police-officers-arrested-for-using-controversial-flock-ai-license-plate-reader-system-to-stalk-romantic-partners-says-report-investigators-have-unearthed-at-least-18-such-cases-in-the-us-over-recent-years

[8] Cops Busted Using License Plate Readers To Stalk Exes – https://www.verity.news/story/2026/cops-busted-using-license-plate-readers-to-stalk-exes

[9] Police Officers Arrested For Stalking Ex Partners With Flock Ai License Plate Reader Systems 27309 – https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/police-officers-arrested-for-stalking-ex-partners-with-flock-ai-license-plate-reader-systems-27309/

[10] Us Police Flock Ai Stalking Cases – https://pccentral.net/us-police-flock-ai-stalking-cases/

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