ALPR ABUSE ARCHIVE

Agency/system incident

Authorities’ allegations and reported case history are preserved alongside source provenance.

CA-HERCULES-VIGILANT-HOTLIST-2018-11

Agency/system incident

Police failed to update a hotlist after a stolen rental vehicle was recovered; Vigilant ALPR later flagged it and two innocent men were detained at gunpoint.

1 linked source Last verified August 25, 2026

//Person

Name
Agency/system incident
Role title
ALPR enforcement incident
Role type
System / investigative misuse or error
Agency
Hercules Police Department
City
Hercules
County
Contra Costa
State
California

//Current status

Status
Documented ALPR Error / Wrongful Stop
Employment outcome
Unknown
Arrest date
Unknown
Jail
Unknown
Case-status notes
Unknown

//Alleged conduct and technology

Why this case is in the database
Police failed to update a hotlist after a stolen rental vehicle was recovered; Vigilant ALPR later flagged it and two innocent men were detained at gunpoint.
Technology type
Police failed to update a hotlist after a stolen rental vehicle was recovered; Automated License Plate Reader
Reported vendor
Vigilant Solutions
Reported product
Unknown
Misuse start
Unknown
Misuse end
Unknown
Known alleged search count
Unknown
Known duration
Unknown
Stale hotlist dataWrongful armed detention

//Discovery and investigation

Discovery method
Public reporting / records / litigation
Investigating agency
Unknown
ALPR vendor
Vigilant
Known charge count
Unknown
Charges
Unknown

//Timeline

August 12, 2026
Public reporting / records / litigation
August 12, 2026
Documented ALPR Error / Wrongful Stop
August 12, 2026
Arrested / Charged

//Sources

Secondary research database citing original reporting/public records

The IJ Database of ALPR Abuse

Institute for Justice · August 12, 2026
Last verified August 25, 2026