Misuse by officers.

Four officers under investigation across four departments in one month

Two officers in one city were placed on leave after an audit revealed what the department called a concerning pattern in their searches. An officer in another town faced termination and criminal charges over tracking an ex-partner. A third was placed on leave. Separately, a resident's plate was searched 88 times over seven days, logged as "suspicious activity" — she had no connection to the town.

We want to make sure that the privacy concerns are taken care of and that we still have this tool.

— Michael Bradley, president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association

The other side Flock did not respond to the newspaper's requests. Its chief legal officer has previously said misuse reports are "a good outcome" of the company's accountability tools.

Source · The Boston Globe, August 21, 2026 · read it

Officer indicted on 100 felony counts; the department shut its whole system off

An eleven-year Lufkin officer was arrested on two felony counts — abuse of official capacity and tampering with a government record — after a department audit and a Texas Rangers investigation. A second officer was placed on administrative leave. A grand jury later indicted him on 100 felony counts. The department suspended its use of Flock entirely.

While the investigations are ongoing, we have suspended the use of Flock cameras within the department.

— Chief Travis Brazil

The other side The department suspended its use of the system entirely while the investigations continue.

Source · KLTV · read it

3,000 searches on an ex-fiancée over several years, and no charges

A Jefferson Parish deputy was fired after an investigation found he used Flock to search his ex-fiancée’s plate more than three thousand times over several years. He is not facing charges. It is the highest single-officer search count in this record.

that doesn't make it okay.

— Sheriff Joe Lopinto, on the absence of charges

The other side The victim did not file a criminal complaint and said he never appeared where her car was detected. The sheriff acknowledged periodic audits had not caught it, and said the absence of charges does not make it okay.

Source · WBRZ · read it

Officer sentenced to six months for searches spanning tens of thousands of cameras

An officer was sentenced to six months in jail plus three years' probation for seven off-duty searches spanning between 15,234 and 92,702 cameras to track his ex-girlfriend. In the same state, another officer received probation on a misdemeanour misconduct charge and a detective was charged with felony misconduct.

He sought out those tools with purposes designed to keep people safe, and then abused it for his own personal and nefarious purposes.

— The sentencing judge

The other side Flock's response: it developed new auditing tools limiting vague search terms and requiring case numbers.

Source · Wisconsin Examiner, August 18, 2026 · read it

A new audit tool caught it, and the county pulled all 28 cameras

A newly acquired audit tool flagged an abnormal pattern of searches dating to January 2026 by a civilian police department employee using Flock for personal, non-law-enforcement purposes. The employee was put on unpaid leave, given termination notice, and resigned. The department disabled all twenty-eight readers county-wide and moved to a regional system. An outside agency is weighing charges.

This employee's egregious misuse of the data system may be limited to a personal matter, but I am committed to ensuring that every use of the tools law enforcement have are audited.

— Chief Kurt Frisz

The other side A newly acquired audit tool is what flagged it. The county disabled all twenty-eight readers and moved to a different system; an outside agency is weighing charges.

Source · First Alert 4 · read it

497 searches in two months, across more than a hundred camera networks

An officer among the department’s heaviest Flock users ran eighteen searches in April, 259 in May and 220 in June 2026, frequently across more than a hundred camera networks including data from outside the city. Her former partner reported repeated calls, calls from unfamiliar numbers, and unannounced visits. She was served an abuse prevention order requiring surrender of firearms, an internal affairs investigation opened, and she was placed on administrative leave. The department suspended its use of Flock pending review.

As of recently there is an open IA investigation of her running my [license] plate through Flock to follow me.

— The complainant

The other side The chief confirmed an internal investigation and administrative leave. No criminal charges were reported at the time.

Source · The New Bedford Light · read it

Three deputies charged with stalking after an audit algorithm flagged three queries

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office arrested three deputies on charges of stalking, prohibited use of a traffic control device, and violation of oath of office. An internal auditing algorithm flagged three separate Flock queries, which triggered the Internal Affairs investigation. All three were released on bond.

They weren't chasing burglars and robbers. … It all had a personal nexus.

— The Bibb County sheriff

The other side An internal auditing algorithm flagged the queries, which is what triggered the investigation. All three were released on bond and have not been tried.

Source · Atlanta Journal-Constitution · read it

Four Arizona departments in one month; two cities cancelled outright

Chandler police identified a potential misuse through a routine audit, immediately cut off database access for roughly two hundred members, discontinued its forty fixed readers and declined to renew its contract. Surprise opened an investigation five days later and cancelled its contract, requesting equipment removal. Officers in Goodyear and Apache Junction were placed on leave or resigned over similar conduct.

We have identified a potential misuse of the system by somebody in our organization.

— Chandler Chief Bryan Chapman

The other side Two of the four cities cancelled their contracts outright rather than continue.

Source · AZFamily · read it

31 searches, 29 of them logged as traffic infractions that never happened

An officer was arrested mid-shift and charged with accessing computers after allegedly using Flock thirty-one times to track her boyfriend’s ex-wife. Two searches happened off duty. She logged twenty-nine of the thirty-one as motor-vehicle infractions and two as burglary or robbery. The department runs monthly audits.

I don't think we are done yet quite frankly. We're looking at other ones that could turn out to be nothing, but there are certain ones we're taking a secondary look at.

— Chief Ron Campurciani

The other side The department runs monthly audits, and the chief said he did not think they were finished looking. She has not been tried.

Source · WBTV · read it

Officer tracked his ex-wife during their divorce, and prosecutors found no crime to charge

A Brentwood officer allegedly used Flock to locate his ex-wife’s vehicle during divorce proceedings. Two agencies investigated and concluded no criminal conduct had occurred under Missouri law; an internal review sustained policy violations. Missouri has no statute prohibiting an officer from using a plate reader this way.

When I got home, he was very angry and mentioned that he did run my plates through the Flock camera to find out where I was.

— The ex-wife

The other side Two agencies investigated and concluded no criminal conduct occurred under Missouri law. An internal review sustained policy violations.

Source · First Alert 4 (KMOV) · read it

Washington Post: "How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking"

Reporters documented at least fifty law enforcement officers charged with or accused of misusing Flock, across a network of roughly 120,000 cameras. The lead case is a woman in suburban Atlanta tracked hundreds of times by her ex-boyfriend, a local police chief. A follow-up piece describes how a single tip exposed the pattern.

who do you turn the chief of police in to?

— The woman who was tracked

The other side The investigation directly prompted the policy changes Flock announced eleven days later. A Flock investor called abuse a nonissue.

Source · Washington Post · read it

Six police department employees placed on leave after an internal audit

Four officers and two civilian staff were placed on administrative leave after an internal audit identified searches unrelated to law enforcement, targeting acquaintances and family members. One officer allegedly gave system access to someone from an outside agency. The state bureau of investigation opened an inquiry.

Misuse of law enforcement tools and technology by SPD staff will not be tolerated.

— Chief Lenny B. Gunther

The other side The department instituted weekly audits.

Source · WRDW, August 2, 2026 · read it

An advocacy compilation of 170 documented plate-reader abuse incidents

The Institute for Justice maintains a public database of documented abuse incidents compiled from public records and news accounts. It separately identified at least 27 cases in which reader errors led to wrongful stops, detentions or arrests, roughly two-thirds of which involved officers drawing guns before the error was discovered.

No one should have to prove their innocence on the side of the road because a camera couldn't tell a zero from an O.

— Michael Soyfer, Institute for Justice

The other side This is a compilation by a litigation and advocacy organisation, and is labelled as one. The underlying incidents are individually sourced in the database.

Source · Institute for Justice, 2026 · read it

Officer ran an ex-partner's plate 69 times, and her parents' plates 39 times between them

Over roughly seven months an officer ran his ex-girlfriend's plate at least 69 times, her mother's 24 times and her father's 15 times. He also placed a tracking tag in her wallet and showed her camera images of her own vehicle at intersections. He was charged with stalking and unauthorised access, and sentenced.

The other side The camera network was not the only tool used in this case.

Source · See resources, 2026 · read it

717 searches of an estranged wife's vehicle over 22 months

An arrest affidavit stated an officer made 717 unauthorised inquiries into his estranged wife's vehicle over 22 months, entering false criminal justifications. He was charged with offences against users of computers or electronic devices and official misconduct, placed on paid administrative leave, and indicated he intended to resign.

These resources are provided for legitimate official purposes only and must be used responsibly.

— Chief Isaac Jackson

Source · FOX 13 Tampa Bay; WFLA, August 2026 · read it

Two more Georgia arrests, and sixteen others across five jurisdictions

A seventeen-year DeKalb County sergeant was charged with misdemeanour misuse of plate-reader technology and felony violation of oath as a public officer. A supervisor in the Conyers real-time crime centre was arrested after allegedly running more than thirty searches for her domestic partner’s car over four months. Reporting counted sixteen additional Georgia officers arrested across Albany, Richmond County, Fayetteville, Cherokee County and Greene County.

Misuse of law enforcement technology for any unauthorized purpose is a serious breach.

— DeKalb Sheriff Melody Maddox

The other side Neither has been tried. Reporting counted sixteen further Georgia officers arrested across five other jurisdictions.

Source · Reason · read it

Deputy arrested after an audit found three months of accesses with no law-enforcement reason

A Greene County deputy was terminated and arrested on charges of violating her oath of office and violating Georgia’s prohibition on law enforcement retaining plate-reader data, after an audit found multiple accesses over roughly three months without law-enforcement justification.

The other side An audit found the accesses. One of the charges is under Georgia's own plate-reader statute — the kind of law Arkansas does not have.

Source · CBS Atlanta · read it

Five officers fired and arrested in a single day

State investigators announced that five Albany police officers were fired and arrested for misuse of licence plate data and violation of oath of office, after an internal Flock audit found what the department called serious policy violations. The specifics of the misuse were not disclosed.

Any use of the technology outside its authorized purpose is unacceptable and inconsistent with the standards of professionalism, integrity, and accountability expected of every member.

— Albany Police Department

The other side The department said any use outside the authorised purpose is unacceptable. Specifics of the misuse were not disclosed, and none of the five has been tried.

Source · CBS Atlanta · read it

Two more Florida cases in the same month

A Sumter County detective was fired and charged over tracking her husband’s ex-wife using Flock and other databases. A former Niceville officer pleaded no contest to tracking another officer and that officer’s spouse.

The other side One was charged and has not been tried; the other entered a no-contest plea.

Source · FOX 13 Tampa Bay · read it

Four deputies charged in one county across a single year

A self-initiated plate-reader audit led to charges against a deputy in June 2026, then against a lieutenant and a sergeant ten days later — all fired, each held on bond, charged with unlawful access to the plate-reader database and violating their oath of office. In August a fourth was fired and charged with one felony count of violating his oath and one misdemeanour retention count, for conduct between October 2023 and December 2025.

The actions taken in this case, along with the three arrests earlier this year, make our position unmistakably clear: misuse of this technology will not be tolerated.

— Sheriff Frank Reynolds

The other side A self-initiated audit by the sheriff's office is what found them. None has been tried.

Source · Atlanta News First · read it

Officer ran an undercover officer’s plate at a drug suspect’s request

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer was arrested and placed on unpaid administrative leave over an unauthorised licence plate query; he allegedly provided an undercover officer’s vehicle information to a drug suspect.

a betrayal of the public’s trust

— Chief Estella Patterson

The other side The chief called it a betrayal of the public's trust. The case has not been tried.

Source · Newsweek · read it

2,300 searches on one woman in five months

A Katy police officer was fired and charged with misuse of official information and stalking after allegedly using Flock cameras more than 2,300 times over five months to track a woman. Court documents say he also placed a tracking device on her vehicle.

The other side He was fired. The search count comes from one outlet's sourcing; a second outlet did not confirm a count.

Source · KHOU · read it

Institute for Justice: 45 documented cases of officers using ALPRs to track romantic interests

A litigation organisation documented forty-five incidents in which officers allegedly used plate-reader systems to track current or former romantic partners, or people they were interested in. Among them: an officer who tracked a partner roughly 180 times in two months; one who searched an ex-partner’s location more than two thousand times in eleven months; one with 166 searches; and a police chief who tracked an ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend more than two hundred times. Nearly all of the accused officers faced criminal charges and lost their jobs.

The fundamental problem with these systems is that they place private information about people's movements over time in the hands of every officer.

— Michael Soyfer, IJ

The other side Flock emphasises that it has internal safeguards. The compiler notes most cases surfaced through victim complaints rather than internal audits.

Source · Institute for Justice · read it

The Marshall Project: personal misuse across multiple states

The Marshall Project documented officers in Orange City (Florida), Sedgwick (Kansas), and Braselton (Georgia) accused of ALPR misuse, including two police chiefs, alongside the Wisconsin cases. It also reported that a San Francisco officer was investigated for using Flock to locate his wife's stolen vehicle. It found 55 Virginia agencies reported taking no public-awareness measures about ALPR use, 20 shared data with out-of-state agencies, and 9 provided continuous federal access.

Flock cameras can be turned against the very people the technology purports to protect.

— Jon McCray Jones, ACLU-Wisconsin

The other side A Flock spokesperson acknowledged misuse cases but characterised them as minimal relative to overall usage, and pointed to audit logs.

Source · The Marshall Project · read it

Deputy added a woman he met on a film set to a hotlist, then pursued her at 70 mph

A Monroe County deputy met a 27-year-old actress while working security on a television production. He searched state and federal driver databases repeatedly and added her vehicle to a plate-reader hotlist so the system would alert him to her movements. Sixteen days later he pursued her at up to 70 mph through no-passing zones, nearly causing a head-on collision, and stopped her. He was fired and charged with felony misuse of law enforcement computers and networks.

I told you I’d find you and pull you over.

— The deputy, during the stop

The other side He was fired. The case has not been tried.

Source · Local 10 · read it

A lieutenant ran 2,700 unauthorised searches on 14 people

A sheriff's office lieutenant was found to have run more than 2,700 unauthorised searches targeting 14 individuals.

Source · See resources, 2026 · read it

Police chief arrested by state investigators for plate-reader misuse, stalking and harassment

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested a town police chief on charges of violation of oath by a public officer, stalking, harassing communications, and multiple counts of misuse of automated license plate recognition systems. The investigation was requested by the county sheriff's office.

[The chief] misused the automated license plate recognition systems to harass and stalk multiple individuals.

— Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Source · Georgia Bureau of Investigation, November 19, 2025 · read it

EFF: 12 million searches analyzed — protest surveillance and ethnic-slur search terms

EFF analyzed more than 12 million Flock searches logged by 3,900+ agencies between December 2024 and October 2025. It identified 50+ federal, state and local agencies running hundreds of protest-related searches, with reasons logged as "protest," "no kings," "KINGS DAY PROTEST," "DxE Protest Suspect Vehicle," "ATL No Kings Protest." Named examples: Tulsa PD (38+ searches), Spokane County SO (3 searches, June 15), Beaumont PD, TX (6 searches, June 14), San Bernardino County SO (searches across 711 networks). Separately, EFF found 80+ agencies running hundreds of searches using anti-Romani slurs and stereotypes, including Grand Prairie PD, TX six times using Flock's Convoy feature. EFF also documented that a single abortion-related Texas query "probed 6,809 networks, accessing 83,345 cameras."

the only reason an officer is able to even search for a suspect at a protest is because ALPRs collected data on every single person who attended the protest.

— Electronic Frontier Foundation

The other side One named department said it does not use the system to investigate individuals exercising their First Amendment rights.

Source · EFF · read it

Wapello County, IA sheriff's SOP: "DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE"

A public-records request produced the sheriff's department's written Flock standard operating procedures, which instruct officers not to disclose ALPR use to vehicle occupants or in reports, and to substitute vague phrasing. The sheriff defended the practice as protecting investigative methods.

DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE. DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE IN YOUR REPORT OR COMPLAINT UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

— The sheriff's written procedure

The other side The sheriff defended the practice as protecting investigative methods.

Source · 404 Media · read it

Sixteen searches on a fellow deputy, every one logged as “suspicious”

A Kenosha County deputy made sixteen or seventeen off-duty Flock searches of his then-girlfriend’s plate — she was also a county deputy — logging each one as “suspicious.” He resigned in December 2025 and was charged in August 2026 with two counts of misconduct in public office, both felonies. He told investigators he was testing new features; texts show he wrote that running her plate made him look bad.

We filed two counts of misconduct in public office, which are both Class 'I' felonies.

— DA Xavier Solis

The other side He resigned in December 2025, before charges were filed in August 2026. The case has not been tried.

Source · KWTX · read it