Documented cases
ALPR ABUSE ARCHIVE
California
State-level aggregate case statistics and published cases.
Agencies
People arrested
People fired
//Cases
Agency/system incident
Documented ALPR Error / Wrongful Stop
Police failed to update a hotlist after a stolen rental vehicle was recoveredAutomated License Plate Reader
Stale hotlist dataWrongful armed detention
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.
Agency/system incident
Documented ALPR Error / Wrongful Stop
Automated License Plate Reader
Plate misreadWrongful armed detention
An ALPR misread a plate partially obscured by dirt and officers detained the driver at gunpoint.
Agency/system incident
Documented ALPR Error / Wrongful Stop
IJ reports Flock sent 1,427 stolen/felony alerts over two years and that 71% involved incorrect plate reads.Automated License Plate Reader
High false/misread alert rateSystem reliability
IJ reports Flock sent 1,427 stolen/felony alerts over two years and that 71% involved incorrect plate reads.
Multi-agency incident
Improper Searches Documented
Out-of-state authorities ran more than 1.6 million searches of San Francisco license-plate data, including immigration-enforcement searches prohibited under California law.Automated License Plate Reader
Cross-agency accessImmigration enforcementUnauthorized / unlawful use
Out-of-state authorities ran more than 1.6 million searches of San Francisco license-plate data, including immigration-enforcement searches prohibited under California law.
Unnamed San Francisco officer
Policy Violation Identified
An officer violated conflict-of-interest policy by obtaining Flock images of a relative's stolen car and posting them to Instagram.Automated License Plate Reader
Conflict of interestData disclosureSocial-media sharing
An officer violated conflict-of-interest policy by obtaining Flock images of a relative's stolen car and posting them to Instagram.
Robert Jay Josett
Pleaded Guilty / Sentenced
Fired
OtherAutomated License Plate Reader
Computer misuseNon-law-enforcement useRomantic relationshipTracking
Investigators alleged Josett used Flock and other police databases for personal purposes to monitor a woman with whom he had a relationship and other people connected to her.
Alexander Ravy Vanny
Convicted / Sentenced
Former employee
Prosecutors and later reporting said Vanny used law-enforcement resources including Flock in a broader stalking and harassment campaign connected to his former fiancee and people associated with her.Automated License Plate Reader
Former romantic partnerStalkingTrackingUnauthorized electronic data use
Prosecutors and later reporting said Vanny used law-enforcement resources including Flock in a broader stalking and harassment campaign connected to his former fiancee and people associated with her.