Police Officers Accused of Using Flock Cameras to Secretly Track Exes, Coworkers and Citizens

Our Take

Credit to Lala for putting a spotlight on something we've been warning about since day one: Flock Safety cameras aren't just scanning for stolen cars and wanted suspects, they're creating a searchable log of where every driver goes, and that log is only as safe as the weakest cop with a login. When officers allegedly use that access to track exes, coworkers, or random citizens they've taken an interest in, it's not a hypothetical 'what if' about surveillance overreach — it's the predictable result of building a mass tracking system and handing out credentials with minimal oversight.

Flock and police departments love to tout audit logs and 'reason for search' fields as safeguards, but those are only as good as whoever's reviewing them, and reviews almost always happen after the harm is already done. A jealous ex-partner or a cop with a grudge doesn't need a warrant, just a plausible-sounding case number to type into a box. This is exactly the kind of personal, non-criminal misuse that gets buried because departments would rather quietly discipline an employee than admit their flagship surveillance tool has no real guardrails.

If this story makes you uneasy, that unease is doing its job. Check our camera map to see how much coverage exists in your own area, and head to our take-action page if you want to push back on unchecked ALPR deployment where you live.