{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-03T07:43:28.494Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"internal-affairs","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"contextual","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":3,"coverage":{"cases":3,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":0,"contextualRelations":3,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2024-stow-massachusetts-police-officer-flock-alpr-cjis-searches-person-known-to-officer","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'attempted to obtain personal information about the Worcester County resident multiple times during 2024 and 2025, police said.'; 'ran vehicle information through Flock Safety multiple times for no legitimate law enforcement reason, police said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'ran vehicle information through both Flock Safety and CJIS systems on multiple dates for no legitimate law enforcement reason.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'ran vehicle information through both Flock Safety and CJIS systems several times for no legitimate law enforcement reason.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"According to the Stow Police Department, an internal-affairs investigation found that the officer attempted to obtain personal information about a Worcester County resident known to the officer multiple times in 2024 and 2025, and ran vehicle information through Flock Safety and CJIS systems on multiple dates with no legitimate law-enforcement reason.","causal_attribution":"Department findings as relayed by the outlets (one chain); no court has ruled."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On June 18, a Worcester County resident alleged that'; 'improperly used police databases to access personal information'; 'Within three hours of receiving the complaint, the department placed'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'misuse of Flock cameras to obtain information about what has been reported to be a former girlfriend.'; 'when the victim filed a complaint with the Police Department.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The investigation began on 18 June 2026 when the resident, who was known to the officer, complained to the department; the officer was placed on leave within three hours. The Sentinel and Enterprise reports that the resident has been reported to be a former girlfriend.","causal_attribution":"Department announcement; the Sentinel and Enterprise gives the former-girlfriend description as 'what has been reported' without naming who reported it."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'sustained findings of conduct unbecoming of an officer, improper use of an official position, failure to comply with written orders, use of false and unsubstantiated search reasons, and violations of department policies surrounding law enforcement databases.'; 'unlawfully accessed Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) through the Criminal Justice Information Services system on at least five occasions'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The internal-affairs investigation sustained findings of conduct unbecoming of an officer, improper use of an official position, failure to comply with written orders, use of false and unsubstantiated search reasons and violations of database policies; it also found that the officer accessed criminal offender record information at least five times.","causal_attribution":"Department findings as reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The department filed a criminal complaint July 17 seeking charges against'; 'the matter has been forwarded to the Middlesex County District Attorney'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'resigned amid termination proceedings after he was accused of misusing Flock Safety license reader cameras and other police databases to track someone he knows.'; 'terminated their relationship with Flock Safety as a direct result of'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'forwarded the complete internal affairs report to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The department filed a criminal complaint seeking charges and forwarded the matter to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, sent the internal-affairs report to the state POST Commission, and ended its relationship with Flock Safety; the officer resigned amid termination proceedings.","causal_attribution":"Department and town statements as reported; no charging decision has been reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"a resident known to a police officer had personal information sought through police license-plate-reader and criminal-justice systems over two years without a law-enforcement reason","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2026/08/18/stow-police-cut-ties-with-flock-safety-after-officer-allegedly-used-cameras-to-track-someone-he-knows/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-03 (Boston.com, 18 August 2026). Reports the Stow Police Department press release.","independence_group":"stow-police-announcement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2026/08/20/stow-officer-accused-of-using-flock-cameras-to-track-former-girlfriend/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-03 (Sentinel and Enterprise, 20 August 2026). Carries the department and town announcement; attributes the former-girlfriend description to earlier reporting.","independence_group":"stow-police-announcement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/stow-police-officer-accused-of-misusing-flock-camera-resigns/4004710/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-03 (NBC Boston, 27 August 2026). Reports the resignation and the department's statements.","independence_group":"stow-police-announcement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://whdh.com/news/stow-officer-placed-on-administrative-leave-accused-of-misusing-flock-law-enforcement-databases/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-03 (WHDH 7News, 18 August 2026). Relays the department's findings.","independence_group":"stow-police-announcement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice","relationships"],"unknowns":["Whose vehicle information was run through Flock, what the searches returned, and whether the resident was followed or contacted as a result.","The nature of the relationship between the officer and the resident beyond the reported description of a former girlfriend.","Whether the Middlesex District Attorney has brought charges, and the POST Commission's decision.","WHDH's 18 August report opens by saying the officer 'has been arrested'; no other inspected source reports an arrest, and no charging decision has been reported."],"geography":{"basis":"The Stow Police Department is in Stow, Massachusetts, and the complainant is described as a Worcester County resident (Boston.com); the criminal complaint was referred to the Middlesex District Attorney, and no court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a contextual case (made_claim_about) consistent with earlier officer-misuse rows for Flock license-plate readers: the Stow Police Department announced that an internal-affairs investigation found an officer ran Flock and CJIS vehicle searches without a law-enforcement reason to obtain information about a resident known to the officer, who complained. The account rests on the department's announcement as relayed by four outlets. The officer and the resident are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-03"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Stow Police Department, as reported by Boston.com, the Sentinel and Enterprise, WHDH and NBC Boston, says the officer ran vehicle information through Flock Safety's automated license-plate-reader system on multiple dates with no legitimate law-enforcement reason. The automated readers generated the vehicle records that were searched; the searches and their purpose are recorded as the officer's own acts. The CJIS and criminal-offender-record systems the officer also queried are records databases and are not treated as AI. The sources do not say what the Flock searches returned or whose vehicle they concerned.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Stow, Massachusetts: a police detective resigned amid termination proceedings after an internal-affairs investigation found that the officer ran vehicle searches through Flock license-plate readers and state criminal-justice systems with no law-enforcement reason to get information about a Worcester County resident known to the officer; the department sought criminal charges and ended its Flock contract","summary":"The Stow Police Department in Massachusetts placed an officer, a detective and acting sergeant, on administrative leave on 18 June 2026, within three hours of a complaint from a Worcester County resident who was known to the officer. According to the department, an internal-affairs investigation found that the officer tried to obtain personal information about the resident several times in 2024 and 2025, ran vehicle information through Flock Safety's license-plate-reader system and the state Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) system on multiple dates with no legitimate law-enforcement reason, and accessed criminal offender record information at least five times. The Sentinel and Enterprise reports that the resident has been reported to be a former girlfriend. After a criminal investigation into the CJIS queries, the department filed a criminal complaint on 17 July seeking charges and referred the matter to the Middlesex District Attorney, sent its report to the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, and ended its relationship with Flock Safety, removing its last camera in early August. The officer, on unpaid leave from 31 July, later resigned amid termination proceedings. No charging decision has been reported.","incidentDate":"2024-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-08-18","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader system used by the Stow Police Department, through which the officer ran vehicle information (the officer also queried the state CJIS records systems, which are not AI)","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Stow Police Department, an officer attempted several times in 2024 and 2025 to obtain personal information about a Worcester County resident known to the officer, and ran vehicle information through the Flock license-plate-reader system and state criminal-justice systems on multiple dates with no law-enforcement reason; the resident complained to the department.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One Worcester County resident, known to the officer, whose personal information the officer sought (Stow Police Department via Boston.com and the Sentinel and Enterprise). Whose vehicle information was run through Flock and whether other people were searched is not stated. Documented minimum 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-MA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2026/08/18/stow-police-cut-ties-with-flock-safety-after-officer-allegedly-used-cameras-to-track-someone-he-knows/","primarySourceLabel":"Boston.com, 18 August 2026: Stow police cut ties with Flock Safety after officer allegedly used cameras to track someone he knows","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-03T03:24:18.054304+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T03:24:18.054304+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","police-misuse","massachusetts","stow","internal-affairs","made-claim-about"]},{"id":"2022-fort-bend-county-texas-sheriff-lieutenant-flock-alpr-plate-lookups-resident-stalking-complaint","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'used Flock cameras to look up one license plate 41 times and another plate 148 times from January 2022 through December 2025.'; 'the lieutenant admitted the searches were not related to official law enforcement work.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"According to internal-affairs documents obtained by ABC13, a Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office lieutenant used the office's Flock cameras to look up one license plate 41 times and another 148 times from January 2022 through December 2025, and admitted that the searches were not related to official law-enforcement work.","causal_attribution":"Internal-affairs documents as reported by ABC13; the documents were not inspected."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'when a resident filed a complaint, alleging the lieutenant was \"stalking\" them and that they were in fear for their family's safety.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The investigation followed a complaint from a resident who alleged that the lieutenant was stalking them and said they feared for their family's safety.","causal_attribution":"The resident's complaint as recorded in the internal-affairs documents reported by ABC13."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the lieutenant claimed concern that the two drivers were'; 'near their home and family.'; 'very contentious familial relationship with the known vehicle owner.'; 'claimed not to have done anything with the information retrieved from the Flock cameras'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The lieutenant said they were concerned that the two drivers were lurking near the lieutenant's home and family, and the documents describe at least one of the drivers' relationship as a very contentious familial relationship with the known vehicle owner; the lieutenant said the information was not used or shared.","causal_attribution":"The lieutenant's own account in the internal-affairs documents as reported."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'An internal affairs investigation found that the lieutenant violated the department's general orders and was suspended for two days.'; 'ABC13 is not naming the lieutenant because the lieutenant is not facing criminal charges.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Internal affairs found that the lieutenant violated the department's general orders, and the lieutenant was suspended for two days; no criminal charges have been reported.","causal_attribution":"Internal-affairs finding as reported by ABC13."}],"effects":[{"label":"a resident complained that a sheriff's lieutenant was stalking them and said they feared for their family's safety","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"two license plates searched 189 times in a police license-plate-reader system over four years without an official purpose","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://abc13.com/post/fort-bend-county-sheriffs-office-lieutenant-admits-improper-use-flock-cameras-docs/19528986/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-03 (ABC13 Houston/KTRK, 17 July 2026). Reports from internal-affairs documents obtained by ABC13; the documents themselves were not inspected. The page byline shows Saturday, July 18, 2026; the article metadata gives publication at 23:57 UTC on 17 July 2026, the evening of 17 July in Houston.","independence_group":"fort-bend-ia-documents"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice","relationships"],"unknowns":["Whether the complainant owned or drove one of the two searched vehicles, and how many distinct people the searches concerned.","Whether the lieutenant acted on the search results; the lieutenant says the information was not used or shared.","The sheriff's office's response to ABC13 and whether any further review followed."],"geography":{"basis":"The sheriff's office is in Fort Bend County, Texas, and ABC13 describes the complainant as a resident; no court proceeding is reported.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a contextual case (made_claim_about) consistent with earlier officer-misuse rows for Flock license-plate readers: internal-affairs documents reported by ABC13 show a sheriff's lieutenant searched two plates 189 times without an official purpose, and a resident complained of being stalked. The account rests on one outlet's reading of the documents. The lieutenant and the resident are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-03"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"ABC13 reports internal-affairs documents showing that the lieutenant used the sheriff's office's Flock cameras to look up two license plates 41 and 148 times. The automated readers generated the location records about the vehicles that the lieutenant searched; the searches and their purpose are recorded as the lieutenant's own acts. The source does not use the word AI or describe how the cameras read plates.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Fort Bend County, Texas: internal-affairs documents show a sheriff's office lieutenant looked up one license plate 41 times and another 148 times in Flock license-plate cameras from January 2022 to December 2025 for no official purpose; the investigation followed a resident's complaint of being stalked, and the lieutenant was suspended for two days (ABC13)","summary":"According to Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office internal-affairs documents obtained by ABC13 Houston (17 July 2026), a sheriff's office lieutenant used the office's Flock license-plate cameras to look up one license plate 41 times and another 148 times between January 2022 and December 2025, and admitted that the searches were not related to official law-enforcement work. The investigation began when a resident filed a complaint alleging that the lieutenant was stalking them and that they were in fear for their family's safety. The lieutenant said they were concerned that the two drivers were lurking near the lieutenant's home and family, and the documents describe at least one of the drivers' relationship as a very contentious familial relationship with the known vehicle owner. Internal affairs found that the lieutenant violated the office's general orders and suspended the lieutenant for two days. The lieutenant told investigators that the information was not used or shared. No criminal charges have been reported, and neither the lieutenant nor the resident is named.","incidentDate":"2022-01-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-07-17","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader cameras used by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, whose records of passing vehicles the lieutenant searched by plate","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A resident complained that a sheriff's lieutenant was stalking them and said they feared for their family's safety; internal-affairs documents reported by ABC13 show the lieutenant searched two plates 189 times in the Flock license-plate-reader system over four years without an official purpose.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"One resident complained of being stalked and feared for their family's safety (ABC13, citing the internal-affairs documents). The documents refer to two plates and two drivers; whether the vehicle owners and the complainant are distinct people is not stated. Documented minimum 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-TX","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"internal_action","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://abc13.com/post/fort-bend-county-sheriffs-office-lieutenant-admits-improper-use-flock-cameras-docs/19528986/","primarySourceLabel":"ABC13 Houston, 17 July 2026: Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office lieutenant admits to improper use of Flock cameras per docs","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-03T03:24:09.923569+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T03:24:09.923569+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","police-misuse","stalking","texas","fort-bend-county","internal-affairs","made-claim-about"]},{"id":"2024-york-county-sc-flock-alpr-misread-plate-gunpoint-stop-melvin-lawsuit","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was stopped by a York County sheriff’s deputy on Feb. 14, 2024, while pulling into his apartment complex near Lake Wylie.'; 'received an alert from a Flock license plate reader that a stolen, dark-colored BMW sedan was traveling in the area, according to the filing.'; 'ordering him to kneel on the ground with his hands over his head for over five minutes, the filing said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'approached Melvin with his firearm drawn and ordered him out of the car, according to the lawsuit.'; 'remained there for roughly five minutes while deputies checked his information.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'ordered him out of his car at gunpoint.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the lawsuit, on 14 February 2024 a York County deputy who had received a Flock license-plate-reader alert for a stolen dark-coloured BMW approached Melvin's black BMW with his gun drawn as Melvin pulled into his apartment complex near Lake Wylie, and made him kneel with his hands over his head for more than five minutes until deputies established that the car was not stolen.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff's lawsuit as reported; the Post and Courier says he was handcuffed, the Herald and Military.com describe him kneeling. The complaint itself was not read."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The Flock camera incorrectly identified the first letter of the license plate.'; 'tinted license plate cover was illegal, and obscured the camera, according to the filing.'; 'correctly identified Melvin’s plate 13 times that month prior to the traffic stop, according to the filing.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The stop resulted from erroneous information associated with a Flock alert,'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Flock camera misread the first letter of Melvin's South Carolina plate; the sheriff's office blamed an illegal tinted plate cover and its internal-affairs report says the stop resulted from erroneous information associated with a Flock alert, while an internal email cited in the filing says the cameras had read his plate correctly 13 times that month.","causal_attribution":"Filing and internal records as reported; the sheriff's office and the plaintiff disagree about why the plate was misread."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'said he suffered trauma and “emotional distress” because of the traffic stop.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'feared for his life and reasonably believed he could be shot.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Melvin says he suffered trauma and emotional distress and feared he could be shot.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiff's own account in the complaint."},{"id":"c4","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'NOTICE OF REMOVAL from York County Court of Common Pleas, case number 2026CP4602329.'; 'Melvin v. York County Sheriff's Office, 0:26-cv-03474'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"The defendants removed Melvin's suit from the York County Court of Common Pleas (case 2026CP4602329) to the US District Court for the District of South Carolina, where it is docketed as Melvin v. York County Sheriff's Office, 0:26-cv-03474.","causal_attribution":"Docket entry."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The York County Sheriff’s Office denies violating Melvin’s rights and has asked a federal judge to dismiss the case.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'The sheriff’s office found in November 2024 that'; 'actions were “reasonable” after Melvin filed an internal affairs complaint against them.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The sheriff's office denies violating Melvin's rights and has asked the federal court to dismiss the case; a November 2024 internal-affairs review found the deputy's actions reasonable.","causal_attribution":"Defendants' position as reported; no dismissal motion appears among the docket entries read (through 8 September 2026)."}],"effects":[{"label":"held at gunpoint and made to kneel for more than five minutes after a misread license-plate-reader alert flagged his car as stolen","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"says the stop caused him trauma and emotional distress","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/crime/article316428323.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-28 from the Internet Archive capture of 25 September 2026 (The Herald, Rock Hill, 9 July 2026); the live site timed out. Reports from the lawsuit and attached documents; includes a Flock statement.","independence_group":"melvin-lawsuit-filings"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.postandcourier.com/york-county/news/flock-license-plate-readers-york-county-cameras/article_21d1fac9-69b0-4706-93ab-f0e43c0ede6e.html","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (Post and Courier, 19 August 2026). Draws on the lawsuit and quotes the internal-affairs report; does not name the plaintiff.","independence_group":"melvin-lawsuit-filings"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.military.com/iraq-war-veteran-says-flock-camera-error-led-to-police-gunpoint-stop","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28 (Military.com, 16 September 2026). Relays the lawsuit and the Herald's reporting on the dismissal request.","independence_group":"melvin-lawsuit-filings"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74652791/melvin-v-york-county-sheriffs-office/","kind":"court_docket","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-28: CourtListener docket for Melvin v. York County Sheriff's Office, 0:26-cv-03474 (D.S.C.); entries through 8 September 2026. No filed documents were available to read.","independence_group":"dsc-docket-0-26-cv-03474"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice"],"unknowns":["Whether Melvin was handcuffed as well as held kneeling (the Post and Courier and the Herald differ).","Whether the misread was caused by the tinted plate cover, the camera or both, and why the alert was not visually confirmed before the weapon was drawn.","The outcome of the dismissal request and of the suit."],"geography":{"basis":"The stop took place at Melvin's apartment complex near Lake Wylie, York County, South Carolina (Herald); the suit was filed in the York County Court of Common Pleas and removed to the US District Court for the District of South Carolina (docket).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a contextual case consistent with the existing Flock rows: an automated plate reader misread a man's plate and flagged his car as stolen, and deputies held him at gunpoint. The account rests on his lawsuit and the sheriff's own records as reported, with the federal docket confirming the case. He is named as the plaintiff in his own suit.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-28"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"According to the filing reported by the Herald, the deputy acted on a Flock license-plate-reader alert for a stolen BMW; the camera misread the first letter of Melvin's plate, and the sheriff's internal-affairs report says the stop 'resulted from erroneous information associated with a Flock alert' (Post and Courier). The misread plate matched against a hotlist is the automated system's claim about his car. The sheriff's office attributes the misread to an illegal tinted plate cover; an internal email says the cameras had read his plate correctly 13 times that month. The decision to draw a weapon was the deputy's.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"York County, South Carolina: Iraq War veteran Steven Melvin says deputies held him at gunpoint and made him kneel for more than five minutes outside his Lake Wylie apartment complex in February 2024 after a Flock license-plate reader misread his plate and flagged his BMW as stolen; he sued in June 2026","summary":"According to a lawsuit filed on 29 June 2026 and reported by The Herald (Rock Hill), a York County sheriff's deputy stopped Steven Melvin, 42, on 14 February 2024 as he pulled into his apartment complex near Lake Wylie, after receiving a Flock license-plate-reader alert that a stolen dark-coloured BMW sedan was in the area. The deputy approached Melvin's black BMW with his gun drawn and aimed at him and made him kneel with his hands over his head for more than five minutes; after calling for backup and checking his information, the deputy determined the car was not stolen. The camera had read the first letter of his South Carolina tag incorrectly, matching a stolen BMW one letter off. A sheriff's internal-affairs review in November 2024 found the deputy's actions reasonable and blamed an illegally tinted plate cover, for which Melvin received a verbal warning; an email cited in the filing says the cameras had read his plate correctly 13 times that month. Melvin says the stop caused him trauma and emotional distress. The sheriff's office removed the case to federal court in August 2026 and denies violating his rights.","incidentDate":"2024-02-14","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-07-09","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate reader (a camera the Herald describes as AI-enabled) that read passing plates, matched Melvin's misread plate against a stolen-vehicle hotlist record and sent an alert to the deputy","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["loss_of_liberty","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Melvin says he was held at gunpoint and detained kneeling for more than five minutes after a misread Flock alert and suffered trauma and emotional distress (his complaint as reported by the Herald and Military.com); the sheriff's office disputes that the stop was unlawful.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, Steven Melvin, detained at gunpoint (lawsuit via the Herald, Military.com, Post and Courier). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-SC","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_filed","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/crime/article316428323.html","primarySourceLabel":"The Herald (Rock Hill), 9 July 2026: York man was held at gunpoint over incorrect Flock hit. Sheriff blames illegal tag cover","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-28T03:31:25.729021+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:16:54.634302+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","wrongful-stop","gunpoint","south-carolina","york-county","justice","made-claim-about","lawsuit"]}]}