Flock Safety and other automated license plate reader systems face growing scrutiny as at least 14 officers nationwide have abused these surveillance tools to track romantic interests. Privacy advocates argue these systems create dangerous avenues for misconduct when placed in officers' hands without proper safeguards or constitutional protections.

The Institute for Justice found most stalking incidents came to light only after victims reported behavior, despite vendor claims of internal safeguards. Constitutional concerns mount as movement data collection occurs without warrant requirements, enabling predictable abuse by law enforcement with access to these powerful tracking technologies across multiple jurisdictions.

In Milwaukee, one officer tracked his romantic interest nearly 180 times over two months before resigning after charges. The misconduct surfaced only when victims checked their plate data on HaveIBeenFlocked.com. These cases reveal systemic flaws in oversight for surveillance technologies that collect detailed location data without sufficient accountability mechanisms.