Your License Plate Is A Stalker's Tool

Our Take

Credit to Sloppy News for packing a real problem into a short-form hit: license plate readers don't just catch the bad guys, they create a searchable log of where you sleep, worship, and see your doctor — and that log is only as trustworthy as whoever has login access. We've seen the pattern play out over and over in public records: officers running plates on ex-partners, co-workers pulling up addresses for personal reasons, data shared far beyond the original "public safety" justification. A camera doesn't know the difference between a wanted felon and a nosy ex with a badge.

This is the part Flock Safety and local police PR teams don't put in the press release. Every network node is a point of failure, and every operator is a potential stalker with institutional cover. The company can talk about audit logs all day, but audit logs only matter if someone is actually checking them, and the track record on that front is not reassuring.

If this clip got your attention, don't stop at outrage. Check our camera map to see what's already watching your own neighborhood, and head to our take-action page for concrete steps to push back on your local department or city council.