Surveillance Daily: July 20, 2026

LAPD's LPR troubles dominate today, cutting two ways at once: a vendor's plate-reading errors torched a stolen-vehicle contract while separate data-privacy disputes killed the Flock deal outright. Meanwhile Georgia's misuse scandal grows, a Tennessee hit shows the tech can work as advertised, and Colorado vandals are voting with sledgehammers.

• A large number of false positives for stolen vehicles occurred due to errors in license plate detection, leading the LAPD to terminate its contract with the system development company. There were also incidents where test drive reviews were mistaken for stolen GIGAZINE

  Misidentifying test drives as stolen cars isn't a minor bug — it's a system unfit for armed police responses.

• Another Georgia officer arrested over alleged Flock camera misuse as internal audits continue uncovering cases CBS News

  One rogue officer is a story; repeated arrests from the same audits is a pattern demanding real oversight, not press releases.

• LAPD suspends Flock Safety surveillance contract over data privacy disagreements AOL.com

  Cutting ties over privacy terms is the right instinct — vendors shouldn't control what cops can do with citizens' location data.

• License plate reader system alerts Lebanon police to stolen car WSMV

  A clean hit on a stolen car is the use case that sells this tech, but it can't excuse the failures elsewhere.

• Avon police investigate theft, destruction of speed and license plate reader cameras Denver7

  Destroying cameras won't fix broken oversight, but it's a loud signal that communities feel unheard about surveillance creep.

Want the full stream? The wire runs all day — and the camera map shows what’s already watching your town.