Police Abuse AI License Plate Readers to Stalk Romantic Partners: Report

AI License Plate Readers Used to Stalk Romantic Partners

Police officers across the United States are abusing automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to stalk personal romantic interests, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Justice.

14 Confirmed Cases of ALPR Abuse

There are at least 14 documented cases nationwide where law enforcement officers allegedly misused ALPR access to track spouses, ex-partners, and even complete strangers. The majority of these incidents occurred after 2024, the year AI-ALPR company Flock Safety expanded into over 4,000 US cities.

Flock Safety’s Safeguards Fail to Prevent Abuse

While Flock Safety claims to have internal safeguards to prevent misuse, the bulk of the 14 confirmed cases were uncovered by victims themselves—not by the company or internal police investigations.

Milwaukee Officer Resigns After 180+ Trackings

In Milwaukee, Officer Josue Ayala, an eight-year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department, resigned after allegedly using Flock’s ALPR system to track his romantic partner and her ex nearly 180 times over just two months. The victims only discovered they were being stalked after checking their license plates on the auditing site HaveIBeenFlocked.com.

Flock Safety’s Rapid Expansion Raises Concerns

Flock Safety now operates in over 6,000 US cities, with more than 76,000 license plate readers deployed. Given the proliferation of these systems and the inherent power dynamics within law enforcement, the actual number of unreported ALPR abuse cases may be far higher.

“The fundamental problem with these systems is that they place private information about people’s movements over time in the hands of every officer. Without the constitutional safeguard of a warrant requirement, that predictably allows officers to abuse their access to these systems for things like stalking romantic partners.”

Broader Implications for Police Surveillance

This report highlights ongoing concerns about police surveillance technology, including the increasing use of drones to monitor protests. For more on this issue, see The Number of Drones Being Deployed to Surveil Anti-Trump Protestors Is Staggering.