Man Endures AI Surveillance Nightmare After License Plate Error Triggers Police Stops

Kyle Dausman, a resident of Cherry Hills Village on Denver’s south side, has been caught in what he describes as a dystopian nightmare after his truck was flagged by Flock Safety’s automatic license plate readers. The AI-powered surveillance system alerts local police whenever Dausman’s vehicle is detected, leading to repeated traffic stops.

“I continually get pulled over. I can’t really use my truck in any fashion. I believe my safety is at risk,” Dausman told 9News. “They zipped out of nowhere and immediately got behind me with the lights flashing.”

When Cherry Hills Village Police were contacted by 9News, officers confirmed that Dausman has done nothing wrong. The issue stems from an erroneous connection between his license plate and an outstanding warrant in the Colorado Crime Information Center database.

How Flock Safety’s AI Surveillance System Works

Flock Safety, a company whose automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are rapidly expanding across the U.S., operates hundreds of always-on cameras in the Denver area alone. In Arapahoe County, where Cherry Hills Village is located, at least 283 active cameras are documented on DeFlock, a grassroots tool tracking ALPR deployments.

Though Cherry Hills Village police quickly realized Dausman’s innocence and removed him from their alert list, the widespread use of ALPRs in surrounding areas makes it nearly impossible for him to travel without repeated stops. “Everywhere in the state, every time I pass a camera, they get alerts in their car that I’m in the area,” Dausman said.

The Root of the Problem: A Data Entry Error

According to 9News, the phantom warrant appears to trace back to a data entry error in a warrant issued out of Gilpin County, Colorado. When Dausman attempted to resolve the issue by contacting the Gilpin County court system, he encountered a dead end. Officials told him he would need to provide the name of the suspect tied to the erroneous warrant—a request no law enforcement agency would fulfill because the case remained active.

“Once you’re in the Flock system, it’s on you to get out. You have to bear any responsibility for making that happen,” Dausman told reporters.

Now that his truck is marked in the system, Dausman faces potential disruptions to his daily life. The AI surveillance black mark could lead to costly delays on his way to appointments or work, and he has no way of knowing how aggressively police might react during future stops.

“All I know is I’m in the system now,” the Colorado man concluded. “And there’s really no easy way to get out of the system once you’re in it.”