Law enforcement officers across at least eight states are facing criminal charges, termination, and investigations for systematically abusing automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems, particularly Flock Safety cameras, to conduct warrantless surveillance for personal purposes—from stalking romantic partners to tracking abortion patients and monitoring protesters.
The scope of documented misconduct is staggering. According to Reason Magazine, Georgia alone has arrested at least 20 officials for misusing the Flock surveillance database. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified five officers conducting personal searches using Flock cameras, according to USA Today. Individual cases paint a pattern of egregious abuse: a Greene County deputy used Flock for personal reasons before arrest, according to CBS News; a Cherokee sheriff's deputy was accused of misusing the license plate reader database, per AJC.com; three Richmond County deputies were charged with Flock camera misuse, according to The Augusta Chronicle; and a Habersham County deputy was arrested and fired following an audit revealing unauthorized camera use, per multiple outlets including WALB and CBS News.
In Alabama, according to WBMA and abc3340.com, Flock camera misuse cases sparked renewed debate over privacy and oversight, with an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigation resulting in two officers being fired for camera misuse. Savannah Police has six employees under investigation for alleged misuse of the license plate reader system, according to WTOC.
Beyond Georgia and Alabama, the pattern extends nationally. In Kansas, a Sedgwick police chief tracked his ex-girlfriend 164 times using Flock cameras, according to KAKE. A Jerome County, Idaho sheriff used Flock cameras to search for his wife's vehicle, per East Idaho News. In Texas, officers and a deputy used surveillance networks to locate women following abortion reports—including a query of "Had an abortion, search for female," according to RANGE Media reporting on a Texas deputy's search of Spokane County Flock cameras.
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Flock Safety and a Texas Sheriff falsely claimed a license plate search was for a missing person when it was actually an abortion investigation. Dallas Observer reported that North Texas police searched a national ALPR network exposing 83,000 license plate cameras in the region used in abortion investigations. Eastern Washington Flock cameras were searched after a false abortion claim, per the Tri-City Herald.
Florida police used Flock cameras to track No Kings protesters, according to reporting from The Palm Beach Post, Treasure Coast News, Pensacola News Journal, USA Today, and Tallahassee Democrat. The Electronic Frontier Foundation documented how police are using Flock Safety's ALPR network to surveil protesters and activists. According to Recorded Future News, Flock Safety cameras were used to monitor protesters.
In Wisconsin, multiple Milwaukee Police Department officers have been charged with misusing the license plate reader system to track romantic partners. According to Wisconsin Examiner, one Milwaukee officer was accused of misusing Flock surveillance cameras. The ACLU of Wisconsin raised accountability concerns following accusations of a Milwaukee Police officer misusing Flock surveillance technology, per the Davis Vanguard. Additional Milwaukee officers received signature bonds on misuse allegations, according to Yahoo and WISN.
Two Greer police officers in South Carolina were fired for misusing the Flock license plate reader system, with newly released records detailing unauthorized use, according to Greenville Online. A Richland County, South Carolina sheriff's deputy was fired and arrested for misusing the Flock Safety camera system, per FOX Carolina News and foxcarolina.com.
In North Carolina, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer was arrested and accused of conducting illegal searches using Flock Safety, including providing undercover vehicle information to a drug target, according to WBTV, WITN, and Police1. A Baytown, Texas officer resigned as investigations continued into alleged misuse of the Flock license plate reader system, per Click2Houston.
Security vulnerabilities compound these enforcement failures. Malwarebytes reported that Flock Safety cameras shared license plate data without permission, and documented critical security flaws in how license plate data is protected. A Cobb County YouTuber further demonstrated Flock camera vulnerabilities, according to WABE, contributing to growing public backlash against the company's surveillance infrastructure.
These cases represent far more than isolated incidents. They document a national pattern of systemic abuse where ALPR technology—designed for legitimate law enforcement—has been weaponized for stalking, harassment, reproductive surveillance, and protest monitoring. The absence of adequate audit trails, access controls, and meaningful oversight has created an environment where officers across multiple jurisdictions exploit the technology with apparent impunity. Only sustained policy reforms, stronger technical safeguards, and genuine accountability mechanisms can prevent continued abuse of these powerful surveillance systems.