Flock AI cameras allegedly used by police to stalk ex-girlfriends and partners

[DragonSlayer101]

A hot potato: Several police officers across multiple states and jurisdictions have been arrested in recent months for allegedly using AI-powered Flock license plate readers to stalk their ex-partners. Marketed to law enforcement as a public safety tool designed to help catch criminals, the cameras have faced significant backlash from civil rights activists over privacy concerns.

According to reports from various local and national news outlets, at least 18 police officers have either been arrested, fired, or placed under investigation for allegedly abusing data from Flock AI cameras to stalk their ex-partners. Investigators told 404 Media they believe the cases represent only the tip of the iceberg, suggesting that many incidents go unreported or are resolved informally with warnings rather than disciplinary action.

In one of the most egregious cases involving the misuse of Flock AI license plate readers, former Orange City, Florida police officer Jarmarus Brown was arrested in February. He is accused of repeatedly searching his ex-girlfriend's license plates more than 100 times to track her movements and of sharing videos of her vehicle using his official agency-issued laptop over a seven-month period in 2024.

In March, Milwaukee police officer Josue Ayala resigned after being accused by his ex-girlfriend of using Flock license plate readers to track her and her ex-partner across the city. He was later arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count of attempted misconduct in public office for allegedly using his authorized access to search the Flock license plate database 179 times for personal reasons.

In a separate case dating back to 2024, former Sedgwick, Kansas police chief Lee Nygaard was accused of tracking his ex-girlfriend's vehicle 164 times between June and October 2023. He also allegedly ran her new boyfriend's license plate 64 times and physically followed the couple in his police vehicle. Nygaard eventually resigned and admitted his actions were motivated by jealousy.

Several other cases involving law enforcement officials using their access to stalk and harass former partners have been reported across the country over the past several years. Privacy advocates argue that the true number of incidents is likely significantly higher, as many cases go unreported or are handled internally by agencies to avoid potential legal liability.

In response to growing concerns over surveillance and abuse of power, several police departments have ended their contracts with Flock Safety. According to a recent report, 53 municipalities across 20 states have either rejected or deactivated Flock cameras, with the Atlanta-based company also accused of attempting to limit public access to information about police searches of its license plate database.

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Flock AI cameras allegedly used by police to stalk ex-girlfriends and partners

 

[James Waffen]

Deflock the country.

 

[NumberNine]

Corrupt police officers abusing power to satisfy the insecurities devouring their violent little souls from within? Say it ain't so! I bet these were the same guys getting sent to the office for searching porn at school.

 

[stewi0001]

I have mixed feelings on this. Technically they are tracking the vehicle and not the person directly. Obviously this can be very helpful with tracking down vehicles related in get aways, kidnapping, etc. Like anything it can be abused. Police are people too and they got to deal with a lot of crap. Heck, if I was an officer with the system, I would be keeping tabs on my kids (when they can drive.) Obviously I do not condone the actions of the officers shared in the article.

In summary, I do not want big brother but I do believe Police do need better tools within reason. I am more ok with a license plate reader than using facial recognition cameras. Just my opinion.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

And these are only the officers that 1) were caught abusing the system and 2) their misdeeds were picked up by media.

No telling how much total abuse is happening.

 

[brucek]

I am shocked -- shocked! -- to hear this is going on.

 

[The Talking Tech]

Is anyone shocked by police abuse of power?
Nope...

I'm only shocked this actually came to light.

 

[cVard]

I'm to European for these comments. The tech is good. It's seems to a be a personel and integration problem.

 

[p51d007]

Worked 911 for about 20 years starting in the late 70's. Although "illegal", officers use to run license plates of "hot girls" back then to get their names and what not. This is nothing new, but just a little more creepy. Back then, you really couldn't track who ran what, but the CAD systems today track EVERYTHING. Police officers should be held to a HIGHER standard than the public, given their responsibilities. He should be held accountable!
The Flock camera systems are a double edge sword. Yes, they can find and track suspects in various crimes, but they can easily be abused.

 

[RudyBob]

I'd like a report on journalists that are abusing the system

 

[Endymio]

Deflock the country.

14 million crimes per year in the country, vs 18 police officers tracking ex girlfriends. These street cameras have the ability to solve more than 80% of them, by tracking the perp from the scene onward. Stop pretending they're peering into your homes and bedrooms: when you're outside on a public street, you have zero expectation of privacy.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

And these are only the officers that 1) were caught abusing the system and 2) their misdeeds were picked up by media.

No telling how much total abuse is happening.

BINGO!

 

[tschmidt69]

Worked 911 for about 20 years starting in the late 70's. Although "illegal", officers use to run license plates of "hot girls" back then to get their names and what not. This is nothing new, but just a little more creepy. Back then, you really couldn't track who ran what, but the CAD systems today track EVERYTHING. Police officers should be held to a HIGHER standard than the public, given their responsibilities. He should be held accountable!
The Flock camera systems are a double edge sword. Yes, they can find and track suspects in various crimes, but they can easily be abused.

I agree, it is not the Flock camera system that is causing the abuse, it is the officers we have put trust into. To receive a misdemeanor for abuse of power over and over again is the issue. Punishments need to be more harsh and better auditing of the accessing of such data. It can easily be setup to flag a superior if the same officer tracks the same plate several times or over several days.

 

[Impudicus]

They only way this is not abused is if does not exist.

 

[crypted011]

I have mixed feelings on this. Technically they are tracking the vehicle and not the person directly. Obviously this can be very helpful with tracking down vehicles related in get aways, kidnapping, etc. Like anything it can be abused. Police are people too and they got to deal with a lot of crap. Heck, if I was an officer with the system, I would be keeping tabs on my kids (when they can drive.) Obviously I do not condone the actions of the officers shared in the article.

In summary, I do not want big brother but I do believe Police do need better tools within reason. I am more ok with a license plate reader than using facial recognition cameras. Just my opinion.

This is exactly why technology like this should not be in the hands of a largely unaccountable and increasingly opaque group. They are people, this will absolutely be abused, and they will use this system to benefit themselves at the expense of the common citizen. Even something as seemingly noble as wanting to check on your kids with flock cameras shouldn't be tolerated, because why stop there? Why not use it for every other personal reason?

 

[crypted011]

14 million crimes per year in the country, vs 18 police officers tracking ex girlfriends. These street cameras have the ability to solve more than 80% of them, by tracking the perp from the scene onward. Stop pretending they're peering into your homes and bedrooms: when you're outside on a public street, you have zero expectation of privacy.

18 for now, that we know of. Give it 10 years and you'll be seeing articles about how millions of women's and maybe even young girls' data and pictures have been used for malicious purposes and how this was completely unexpected and shocking. The same thing has happened several times with Facebook and other companies stealing people's data, why would it not happen here too? Keep in mind also recent certain files involving a shadowy cabal and a certain island, these forms of power abuse are likely more systemic and intentional than you think. They were likely not the only ones.

Also, I guarantee this will have minimal impact on crime. Every new surveillance tech is promised to end crime forever or reduce it by 7 billion percent or something and yet, criminals find ways around it while normal people suffer and live in a police state.

 

[Endymio]

18 for now, that we know of. Give it 10 years and you'll be seeing articles about how millions of women's and maybe even young girls' data and pictures have been used for malicious purposes

Oops! We'll have no slippery-slope logical fallacies here, thank you. Government bodies have more far copious and far more private data on people , yet we somehow manage that properly.

As for data theft, I'm much more concerned about having my bank account login information stolen -- or even just a record of every financial transaction I've ever made -- than I am with someone stealing the fact that my vehicle transited the intersection of Washington and Elm at 7:04pm last Wednesday.

Also, I guarantee this will have minimal impact on crime

This is the most absurd statement yet. This technology has already solved countless crimes, and in fact security footage of nearby surveillance cameras are now the first step -- and often the only available step -- in solving most robberies, burglaries, and crimes of violence in our cities.

 

[crypted011]

Oops! We'll have no slippery-slope logical fallacies here, thank you. Government bodies have more far copious and far more private data on people , yet we somehow manage that properly.

As for data theft, I'm much more concerned about having my bank account login information stolen -- or even just a record of every financial transaction I've ever made -- than I am with someone stealing the fact that my vehicle transited the intersection of Washington and Elm at 7:04pm last Wednesday.

The government absolutely does not handle that information well. How many times have you heard of millions of private data leaked from government databases? How do you even know what that data is used for anyways when there's no transparancy? Even prior to flock there have been cases of police officers using things like thermal scanners to spy on their critics. The government can and has detained its opposition before in the 50s, and they can certainly do it again as well.

You aren't concerned because you are a diehard supporter of surveillance tech. The government isn't interested in people like you. You also probably haven't had to deal with police corruption or stalkers. For people well aware of just how bad government agencies and local authorities can be, like with the case of that sexual predator police chief from not too long ago, this is dystopian.

 

[crypted011]

This is the most absurd statement yet. This technology has already solved countless crimes, and in fact security footage of nearby surveillance cameras are now the first step -- and often the only available step -- in solving most robberies, burglaries, and crimes of violence in our cities.

Forgot to add, this technology has solved maybe a handful of cases so far and isn't really worth the massive problems it creates. A lot of claims of it solving crimes come from flock themselves who obviously have an incentive to claim so. I also question why regular cameras would not have done the job. In another 10 years, they'll claim crime is out of control and push for more surveillance.