How The Post uncovered rogue officers misusing license-plate readers

Our Take

The Washington Post just did the deep-dig work that should terrify anyone who's been told ALPR networks are safe because they're 'only for cops fighting crime.' Fifty officers, at least 26 of them using the tech to stalk wives, girlfriends, exes, or women they simply wanted to meet. This isn't a hypothetical slippery slope — it's a documented pattern, and Flock's system was the tool of choice in the overwhelming majority of cases.

This is exactly the accountability gap we keep hammering on: these databases log every plate that passes a camera, retained and searchable, with audit trails that depend entirely on someone actually reviewing them. The Post had to do that review themselves, case by case, because the departments and vendors sure weren't volunteering it. When the 'misuse' consequence for weaponizing a mass-surveillance network against a private citizen is sometimes just an HR write-up, the deterrent isn't there.

Credit to the Post reporters for pulling public records most people never think to request. Every camera normalized in your town is another node that a bad actor with a badge can query without a warrant. Check our camera map to see what's watching your neighborhood, and hit up take action if you want to push your local council for real audit requirements before they approve the next contract.