Chicago-area police officers investigated for misusing Flock camera searches for personal use
The short version: ABC 7 Chicago reports Chicago-area officers are under investigation for running Flock camera searches for personal reasons, not police work.
Our Take
ABC 7 Chicago is reporting that officers in the Chicago area are being investigated for tapping into Flock Safety's license plate reader network for personal use rather than legitimate law enforcement purposes. We don't have the full details on what was searched or why, but the allegation itself is exactly the nightmare scenario critics of this technology have been warning about since these cameras started popping up on every other corner.
This is the core problem with ALPR networks: the technology doesn't just capture crime, it captures everyone, all the time, and that data becomes a tempting tool for anyone with login credentials. Departments love to sell Flock as a narrow crime-fighting tool, but audit logs across the country keep surfacing the same story — officers using the system to track ex-partners, keep tabs on family members, or satisfy personal curiosity. A database that logs where your car has been is only as trustworthy as the person with access to the search bar, and "trust us" has never been a real policy.
Credit to ABC 7 Chicago for digging into this story and holding local departments accountable. If you want to see how dense this surveillance net is in your own neighborhood, check out our camera map, and if you're ready to push back on unchecked ALPR deployment where you live, our take-action page has concrete steps to get started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of ABC 7 Chicago, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.