Investigation: Cops Abusing Camera Network for Stalking

Police tech that was billed as a crime-fighting breakthrough is instead doubling as a covert tracking tool for some of the very people sworn to use it responsibly, the Washington Post reports. The investigation centers on Georgia resident Marci Bakely, who says her ex-boyfriend, small-town police chief Michael Steffman, secretly tracked her movements using Flock Safety's automated license-plate reader network. Audit logs obtained via the site Have I Been Flocked show Steffman ran searches on Bakely's and her daughter's plates roughly 600 times over about a year; he was later arrested on stalking and related charges and died by suicide before trial.

Reporters Drew Harwell, Douglas MacMillan, and Aaron Schaffer found that Bakely's case is part of a broader pattern: At least 50 US officers have been accused of misusing plate readers—46 involving Flock—to monitor romantic partners, exes, or women they wanted to meet. Flock says abuse is rare, offers audit tools, and argues it's up to departments to enforce rules. Privacy advocates counter that weak oversight and optional safeguards make misuse all but guaranteed. For the full data and more victim accounts, read the full story.