{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-04T07:06:36.717Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"restraining-order","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","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":0,"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":"2025-milwaukee-police-officer-flock-alpr-tracking-partner-and-ex-restraining-orders-probation","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'he looked up the license plate of his dating partner more than 120 times between March 26 and May 26 of 2025.'; 'He also looked at a second license plate that belonged to that person’s former partner 55 times in the same time period.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Prosecutors say he searched the license plates of the pair a total of 179 times.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Between 26 March and 26 May 2025 a Milwaukee police officer looked up the plate of the person he was dating more than 120 times and that person's former partner's plate 55 times in the Flock system, listing 'investigation' as the reason; prosecutors put the total at 179 searches.","causal_attribution":"Criminal complaint as relayed by Spectrum News and prosecutors as quoted by WISN; the officer pleaded guilty to attempted misconduct."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'A court commissioner granted the restraining orders, which will take effect for four years.'; 'This was not a lapse in judgment; it was a continual, repetitive, obsessive behavior.'; 'in a constant state of fear and unease.'; 'I feared for my safety.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"Both people obtained four-year restraining orders; the woman wrote that his tracking was continual, repetitive, obsessive behavior and that she lives in a constant state of fear and unease, and the other person wrote that he feared for his safety.","causal_attribution":"The victims' own petitions as quoted by WISN; the woman's petition also describes other behavior not detailed in the report."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'He took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to the charge on June 11.'; 'sentenced to 13 months of probation and fined $500.'; 'no contact with both victims in the case'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"He pleaded guilty on 11 June 2026 and was sentenced to 13 months of probation and a $500 fine, with no contact with both victims.","causal_attribution":"Court outcome as reported; FOX6 (read privately) reports one year of probation."}],"effects":[{"label":"locations tracked through repeated license-plate-reader searches by a police officer","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"one says she lives in a constant state of fear and unease; the other says he feared for his safety","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.wisn.com/article/court-grants-restraining-orders-against-ex-cop-who-stalked-ex-with-flock-cameras/71709296","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-10-04 from the Internet Archive 2026 capture (WISN, published 24 June 2026); the live site returned HTTP 451. Reports the restraining-order hearing and quotes the two petitions.","independence_group":"milwaukee-restraining-order-petitions"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2026/07/15/former-mpd-officer-misuse-flock-cameras-sentencing","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-10-04 (Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin, 15 July 2026). Reports the sentence and the criminal complaint's search counts.","independence_group":"milwaukee-county-complaint-and-sentencing"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice","relationships"],"unknowns":["Whether the probation term is one year or 13 months; reports differ.","The other behavior the woman described in her petition.","The criminal case number."],"geography":{"basis":"The officer worked for the Milwaukee Police Department and the case and restraining orders were heard in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin (WISN; Spectrum News). The victims' residence is not stated; affected_person_countries US rests on their petitions in a Milwaukee court and their law-enforcement work there.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an institutional privacy and safety case, consistent with the held Flock officer-misuse rows: the officer pleaded guilty after searching two people's plates in the Flock license-plate-reader system 179 times, and both obtained restraining orders, citing fear (WISN; Spectrum News). Neither the officer nor the victims are named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-04"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Spectrum News, citing the criminal complaint, reports that the officer looked up the two people's plates in the Flock system over 120 and 55 times; the woman's petition (WISN) says he used the department's Flock system to track her whereabouts, and the officer pleaded guilty. The plate-read location records were the automated system's output about their vehicles; the searches were the officer's acts. The sources do not describe the readers as AI.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Milwaukee: a police officer searched the plates of the person he was dating and that person's former partner about 179 times in the department's Flock license-plate-reader system in 2025; both obtained restraining orders, one saying she lives in a constant state of fear, and he was sentenced to probation in July 2026","summary":"Between 26 March and 26 May 2025 a Milwaukee police officer used the department's Flock license-plate-reader system to look up the plates of the person he was dating and of that person's former partner, listing 'investigation' as the reason each time. Prosecutors say he searched the pair's plates 179 times in all. He was charged with misconduct in February 2026, resigned, and pleaded guilty on 11 June 2026 to attempted misconduct in public office. In June a court commissioner granted both people four-year restraining orders against him; the woman wrote in her petition that his tracking was 'continual, repetitive, obsessive behavior' and that she lives in a constant state of fear and unease, and the other person wrote that he feared for his safety. On 15 July 2026 he was sentenced to probation and fined $500, with no contact with either victim.","incidentDate":"2025-03-26","incidentEndDate":"2025-05-26","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-02-25","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader camera system used by the Milwaukee Police Department, whose plate-read records the officer searched for the two people's locations (WISN; Spectrum News)","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Two people were tracked through repeated license-plate-reader searches by a police officer; both sought and obtained restraining orders, one writing that she lives in a constant state of fear and unease and the other that he feared for his safety (their petitions as reported by WISN).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Two people, the officer's dating partner and her former partner, both tracked and both granted restraining orders citing fear (WISN; Spectrum News). Exact 2.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-WI","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.wisn.com/article/court-grants-restraining-orders-against-ex-cop-who-stalked-ex-with-flock-cameras/71709296","primarySourceLabel":"WISN 12 News, 24 June 2026: Victims file restraining order on former cop who tracked ex with Flock cameras","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-04T03:31:52.126684+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T03:31:52.126684+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","police-misuse","stalking","restraining-order","wisconsin","milwaukee","criminal-conviction","privacy","relationships","made-claim-about"]},{"id":"2024-dallas-georgia-police-911-director-flock-alpr-searches-estranged-husband-and-partner-arrested","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'searched more than 2,500 times for cars belonging to her estranged husband and his new girlfriend'; 'almost every day from July 2024 to May 2025'; 'as many as 39 times in one day, sometimes just seconds apart'; 'More than half her searches of those cars occurred between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'had accessed the system up to 1,200 times for non-law enforcement purposes, with some searches allegedly involving her former spouse'","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"USA TODAY's analysis of Flock audit logs found that the director used Flock to look up the license plates of her estranged husband and his new girlfriend almost every day from July 2024 to May 2025, more than 2,500 times in all and as many as 39 times in one day, with more than half of the searches made between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m.","causal_attribution":"USA TODAY's own analysis of audit logs. The GBI figure relayed from 11Alive (up to 1,200 accesses) differs; the GBI release itself gives no count. Not independently confirmed."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'repeatedly showed up unannounced at the restaurants where they ate'; 'even at the rural, 100-acre Alabama property they regularly visit'; 'I think she wanted us to know she was there.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The husband and his girlfriend told USA TODAY that in the months after the couple separated, the director repeatedly showed up unannounced at restaurants where they ate, at the hospital where the girlfriend works and at a rural Alabama property they regularly visit.","causal_attribution":"The couple's own account to USA TODAY; the director did not respond. The link between the searches and the appearances is the couple's inference."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'said she fears for her safety'; 'She filed a petition for a restraining order against'; 'on Aug. 20, court records show, citing her frequent Flock searches'; 'It’s an invasion of privacy'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The girlfriend said she fears for her safety and, according to court records, filed a petition for a restraining order against the director on 20 August 2026, citing her frequent Flock searches; the husband called the searches an invasion of privacy.","causal_attribution":"The couple's statements and USA TODAY's reading of court records, which were not inspected."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'requested the GBI to investigate allegations of misuse of the Dallas Police Department Flock Safety System'; 'accessed the Flock Safety System between 2024 and 2025 for non-law enforcement purposes'; 'with two misdemeanor counts of Misuse of a License Plate Reader System'; 'was booked into the Paulding County Jail'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'on two misdemeanor counts of misusing a license plate reader'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"On 7 July 2026 the Dallas Police Department asked the GBI to investigate allegations of misuse of its Flock Safety system; preliminary information indicated that the 911 director had accessed the system between 2024 and 2025 for non-law enforcement purposes. The GBI arrested her on 12 August 2026 on two misdemeanor counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and booked her into the Paulding County Jail.","causal_attribution":"The GBI's release; USA TODAY reports the same arrest and charges. Charges are allegations."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'USA TODAY contacted the Dallas Police Department about'; 'asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate her the next day'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'On July 7, 2026, the Dallas Police Department requested the GBI'","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"USA TODAY contacted the Dallas Police Department about the director's Flock activity on 6 July 2026, and the department asked the GBI to investigate her the next day.","causal_attribution":"USA TODAY's account of its own inquiry; the GBI release gives the 7 July request date."}],"effects":[{"label":"the couple's cars searched more than 2,500 times in the police Flock system by the husband's estranged wife, a police 911 director","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the couple say she repeatedly showed up unannounced where they were","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"},{"label":"the girlfriend fears for her safety and has petitioned for a restraining order","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/08/28/flock-camera-investigation-police-arrested-fired-surveillance/91383586007/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 from the eu.usatoday.com edition of the same article (the www host answered 402). USA TODAY's own analysis of Flock audit logs, interviews with the husband and his girlfriend, court records and the director's personnel file.","independence_group":"usat-flock-investigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2026-08-12/gbi-arrests-former-911-director-paulding-county-misuse-license-plate","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live). The GBI's arrest release; it names the charges and the department's request but not the people searched.","independence_group":"gbi-2026-08-12"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/another-person-caught-using-flock-192101856.html","kind":"news_relay","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; Mandatory on Yahoo News, 17 August 2026). Relays 11Alive's report of the GBI's account (11Alive answered 403 and was not read). The page's automated key-takeaways box was not used.","independence_group":"gbi-2026-08-12"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice","relationships"],"unknowns":["The exact number of searches (USA TODAY: more than 2,500; the GBI via 11Alive: up to 1,200).","Whether the restraining order was granted.","Whether the director has been charged in court and any outcome."],"geography":{"basis":"The director worked for the Dallas Police Department in Paulding County, Georgia, whose Flock system she searched; the GBI arrested her and booked her into the Paulding County Jail (GBI release). The couple's residence is not stated; affected_person_countries US rests on their cars being searched in the Georgia department's system and on the places named in USA TODAY (restaurants, a hospital and an Alabama property). The case is in Georgia.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an institutional privacy and safety case, consistent with the held Flock officer-misuse rows: the GBI arrested a police 911 director for misusing the department's Flock license-plate-reader system, and USA TODAY's analysis and interviews describe the two people whose cars she searched and the effects they report. The automated readers generated the plate-read records; the misuse is recorded as a human act. The director and the couple are not named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-04"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The GBI says the director accessed the Dallas Police Department's Flock Safety system for non-law enforcement purposes, and USA TODAY's analysis of Flock audit logs found her repeated searches of the couple's license plates. USA TODAY describes the Flock system as photographing passing cars and uploading the plate number, make, model, color and other characteristics to an online database. The plate-read records about the couple's cars were the system's output; the searches are recorded as the director's own acts. The sources do not describe the readers as AI.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Dallas, Georgia: a police department's 911 director is accused of using its Flock license-plate-reader system to track her estranged husband and his new partner almost daily from July 2024 to May 2025; the GBI arrested her in August 2026","summary":"The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested the former 911 director of the Dallas Police Department in Paulding County, Georgia, on 12 August 2026 on two misdemeanor counts of misuse of a license plate reader system, after the department asked it on 7 July to investigate misuse of the department's Flock Safety system between 2024 and 2025. A USA TODAY analysis of Flock audit logs found that she had searched more than 2,500 times for the cars of her estranged husband and his new girlfriend, almost every day from July 2024 to May 2025 and as many as 39 times in one day. The couple told USA TODAY that in the months after the separation she repeatedly showed up unannounced at restaurants where they ate, at the hospital where the girlfriend works and at a rural Alabama property they visit. The girlfriend said she fears for her safety and, according to court records, filed a petition for a restraining order on 20 August citing the Flock searches. USA TODAY had contacted the department about the searches on 6 July. The charges are allegations.","incidentDate":"2024-07-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-05-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-08-12","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader system of the Dallas (Georgia) Police Department, searched by its 911 director (GBI release; USA TODAY analysis of Flock audit logs)","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to USA TODAY's analysis of Flock audit logs, the couple's cars were searched more than 2,500 times over about ten months by the husband's estranged wife, a police 911 director; they say she repeatedly appeared where they were, and the girlfriend says she fears for her safety and has sought a restraining order. The director is charged with misuse of a license plate reader system.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Two people, the director's estranged husband and his new girlfriend, whose cars USA TODAY's analysis found she searched and who described the effects to USA TODAY. Exact 2.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-GA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/08/28/flock-camera-investigation-police-arrested-fired-surveillance/91383586007/","primarySourceLabel":"USA TODAY, 28 August 2026: Our Flock camera investigation sparks police firings, arrests","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-04T03:30:13.936939+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T03:30:13.936939+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","police-misuse","estranged-spouse","georgia","dallas-georgia","paulding-county","gbi","usa-today-investigation","restraining-order","made-claim-about"]},{"id":"2025-fort-pierce-florida-police-officer-flock-alpr-382-searches-ex-girlfriend-plate-arrest","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'accessed the Flock database 382 times to search the same license plate'; 'Most of the searches were made while he was off duty. Investigators determined the vehicle was registered to an ex-girlfriend.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'used the Flock database 382 times to search the same vehicle license plate'; 'although the Flock searches began in October 2025'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'searched his ex 382 times between February 2025 and this June'","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"According to the Fort Pierce police chief, the former officer used the department's Flock database 382 times between October 2025 and July 2026 to search the same license plate, mostly while off duty and without a legitimate law enforcement purpose, and investigators determined the vehicle was registered to his ex-girlfriend.","causal_attribution":"The police chief's account, relayed by two stations from the same news conference. TCPalm's own count matches (382) but gives a different period (February 2025 to June 2026); the record uses the police period and notes the difference."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'access involving the woman stretched back to 2023'; 'has been notified and is part of the case'; 'I think you can infer that he was tracking an ex-girlfriend.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The chief said records from other law enforcement databases showed the officer's access involving the woman stretched back to 2023, that the woman had been notified and is part of the case, and that one could infer the officer was tracking an ex-girlfriend.","causal_attribution":"The chief's statements at the news conference as reported by WPTV."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'she filed for a restraining order on Aug. 14, accusing'; 'of stalking and cyberstalking'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"TCPalm reports that it asked the woman about the searches on 3 August 2026 and that on 14 August she filed for a restraining order, accusing the officer of stalking and cyberstalking.","causal_attribution":"TCPalm's account; the filing was not inspected."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'members of the media contacted the department on Aug. 7'; 'was arrested on four felony counts related to unauthorized computer access'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'He was being held at the St. Lucie County Jail on $80,000 secured bond.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'inquired about his searches on Aug. 7'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The investigation began after the media contacted the department on 7 August 2026 about possible misuse of its Flock system; the officer was placed on administrative leave that day, resigned on 18 August, and was arrested on 8 September 2026 on four felony counts related to unauthorized computer access, held on an $80,000 secured bond.","causal_attribution":"The department's announcement; TCPalm confirms its own 7 August inquiry. No court record was inspected."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Only lieutenants and higher ranking officers can now use it'; 'The department also cut its data retention period from 30 days to seven days.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"After the arrest the department limited Flock access to lieutenants and above, required deputy-chief approval and a case number for each search, limited searches to forcible felony and missing or endangered person cases, and cut data retention from 30 days to seven days.","causal_attribution":"The department's statements as reported by CBS12."}],"effects":[{"label":"her license plate searched 382 times on the police Flock license-plate-reader database by her ex-boyfriend, a police officer","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"sought a restraining order accusing him of stalking and cyberstalking","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://cbs12.com/news/local/former-fort-pierce-officer-arrested-over-alleged-misuse-of-police-databases-fort-pierce-police-department-fort-pierce-former-police-officer-former-officer-arrested-police-arrest-database-misuse-police-database-database-systems-law-enforcement","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; CBS12/WPEC, 8 September 2026, updated 9 September). Rests on the Fort Pierce Police Department's announcement and the chief's news conference.","independence_group":"fppd-news-conference-2026-09-08"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/our-community/fort-pierce/former-fort-pierce-police-officer-arrested-for-alleged-misuse-of-police-database-systems","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; WPTV, 8 September 2026). Reports the chief's news conference, including his answers to reporters.","independence_group":"fppd-news-conference-2026-09-08"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/florida/2026/09/10/florida-flock-camera-abuse-prompts-fort-pierce-police-officer-arrest-usat-investigation/91673033007/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 from the eu.tcpalm.com edition of the same article (10 September 2026). Its own analysis of Flock audit logs, its inquiry to the department and to the woman, and the restraining-order filing; also relays the chief's news conference.","independence_group":"usat-tcpalm-flock-investigation"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice","relationships"],"unknowns":["The period of the Flock searches (police: October 2025 to July 2026; TCPalm: February 2025 to June 2026).","Whether the restraining order was granted.","The woman's own account of the effect of the searches.","Any court outcome."],"geography":{"basis":"The officer served with the Fort Pierce Police Department in St. Lucie County, Florida, whose Flock database he searched; he was arrested and held at the St. Lucie County Jail (CBS12; WPTV). The woman's residence is not stated; affected_person_countries US rests on her vehicle being searched in the Florida department's system and on her restraining-order petition (TCPalm). The case is in Florida.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an institutional privacy and safety case, consistent with the held Flock officer-misuse rows: the Fort Pierce police chief says a former officer searched his ex-girlfriend's license plate 382 times on the department's Flock license-plate-reader database without a law enforcement purpose, he has been arrested, and TCPalm reports she sought a restraining order. The automated readers generated the plate-read records; the misuse is recorded as a human act. Neither the officer nor the woman is named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-04"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The Fort Pierce police chief, as reported by CBS12 and WPTV, says the officer used the department's Flock automated license-plate-reader database 382 times to search a vehicle registered to his ex-girlfriend, and TCPalm's analysis of Flock audit logs found the same count. CBS12 describes Flock cameras as license plate readers that help identify vehicles. The plate-read records about the woman's vehicle were the system's output; the searches are recorded as the officer's own acts. The FCIC/NCIC, DAVID and TLO searches are not treated as AI. The sources do not describe the readers as AI.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Fort Pierce, Florida: a former police officer is arrested after investigators say he searched his ex-girlfriend's license plate 382 times on the department's Flock license-plate-reader system without a law enforcement purpose","summary":"According to Fort Pierce Police Chief David Smith, a former officer of the Fort Pierce Police Department used the department's Flock automated license-plate-reader database 382 times between October 2025 and July 2026 to search the same license plate, mostly while off duty and without a legitimate law enforcement purpose, and investigators determined the vehicle was registered to his ex-girlfriend. The chief said records from other law enforcement databases showed the officer's access involving the woman stretched back to 2023. The department opened its investigation after a TCPalm reporter asked on 7 August 2026 about the searches; the officer was placed on leave that day and resigned on 18 August. TCPalm reports that the woman filed for a restraining order on 14 August, accusing him of stalking and cyberstalking. He was arrested on 8 September 2026 on four felony counts related to unauthorized computer access and held on an $80,000 bond. The charges are allegations.","incidentDate":"2025-10-01","incidentEndDate":"2026-07-01","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-08","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader database of the Fort Pierce Police Department, which the officer searched through his police access (Fort Pierce police chief, as reported by CBS12, WPTV and TCPalm)","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to the Fort Pierce police chief, the woman's license plate was searched 382 times on the department's Flock license-plate-reader database by her ex-boyfriend, a police officer, mostly off duty and without a law enforcement purpose; TCPalm reports she sought a restraining order accusing him of stalking and cyberstalking. He is charged with unauthorized computer access.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the officer's ex-girlfriend, whose vehicle's plate was searched (Fort Pierce police chief via CBS12 and WPTV; TCPalm). The other people looked up in non-AI databases are not counted. Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-FL","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"pending","primarySourceUrl":"https://cbs12.com/news/local/former-fort-pierce-officer-arrested-over-alleged-misuse-of-police-databases-fort-pierce-police-department-fort-pierce-former-police-officer-former-officer-arrested-police-arrest-database-misuse-police-database-database-systems-law-enforcement","primarySourceLabel":"CBS12 (WPEC), 8 September 2026: Ex-Fort Pierce officer accused of using Flock database 382 times to track ex-girlfriend","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-04T03:25:49.473488+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T03:25:49.473488+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","police-misuse","ex-partner","stalking","florida","fort-pierce","st-lucie-county","usa-today-investigation","restraining-order","made-claim-about"]}]}