{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-04T09:46:26.845Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"usa-today-analysis","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"contextual","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":1,"coverage":{"cases":1,"countries":1,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":0,"contextualRelations":1,"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-sarasota-florida-police-officer-flock-alpr-335-searches-former-partner-car-fired-arrested","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'searched the same Florida license plate 358 times through Flock between May and October 2025, according to the affidavit'; 'Investigators also documented multiple DAVID searches connected to the tag'; 'was not actively working on a criminal investigation involving the vehicle during the relevant period'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"According to the probable-cause affidavit, the officer searched the same Florida license plate 358 times through Flock between May and October 2025, investigators also documented multiple DAVID searches connected to the tag, and he was not actively working on a criminal investigation involving the vehicle during that period.","causal_attribution":"The affidavit as relayed by WJHG; the officer is charged, not convicted."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'at least 335 times over two months was fired and arrested'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'the officer searched the same plate 335 times over a two-month period'; 'the plate was searched 121 times'; 'The searches were sometimes made outside normal working hours and in the middle of the night'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'at least 335 times over two months'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'searched for the same license tag 355 times'; 'searched the tag 121 times'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"USA TODAY's analysis of Flock search data counted at least 335 searches of the plate over two months, including 121 on one day, some made outside normal working hours and in the middle of the night; FOX 13 reported the count as 355.","causal_attribution":"USA TODAY's own data analysis, repeated by ABC7 WWSB and TCPalm from the same reporting; the counts differ across sources (335, 355, 358)."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'an officer who tracked an ex-girlfriend’s car at least 335 times'; 'about his 335 Flock searches of his ex-partner'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'charged with tracking an ex-girlfriend’s car at least 335 times over two months'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'Police have not disclosed who'; 'or why he repeatedly searched the license plate'","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'The department did not provide additional details about how the databases were allegedly misused or identify any people whose information may have been accessed'","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"USA TODAY reports that the car the officer tracked belonged to his ex-girlfriend, or ex-partner; police have not disclosed whom he was tracking or why.","causal_attribution":"The relationship rests on USA TODAY's reporting alone (TCPalm is the same network); the sources do not say how USA TODAY linked the car to the officer's former partner."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'misused law enforcement-only search databases, including DAVID and Flock'; 'was placed on paid administrative leave on Aug. 7'; 'the audit was completed Aug. 14 and found agency-wide compliance'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'The Sarasota Police Department said it learned Aug. 6 that the officer allegedly misused agency search databases'; 'The case is also being investigated criminally'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'The criminal investigation was assigned Aug. 12, according to the affidavit'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The Sarasota Police Department said it learned on 6 August 2026 that the officer had allegedly misused law-enforcement-only search databases, including DAVID and Flock; it opened an internal affairs investigation and a criminal investigation, placed him on paid administrative leave on 7 August, and ran an agency-wide audit of database use that it said found agency-wide compliance when completed on 14 August.","causal_attribution":"The department's statements and the affidavit, relayed by three outlets; one dependence group."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'two weeks after a reporter asked the agency about his 335 Flock searches'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'The reporters eventually identified the officer and contacted Sarasota Police'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'An investigation started earlier this month after a USA Today reporter discovered'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"USA TODAY reports that the department acted after a USA TODAY reporter asked it about the officer's Flock searches, two weeks before his arrest.","causal_attribution":"USA TODAY's account of its own inquiry; the department's statements give 6 August as the date it learned of the allegations without naming the source."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was arrested Aug. 19 and faces two felony charges and one misdemeanor charge'; 'was terminated on Aug. 19, the same day he was arrested'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'faces felony charges of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices, and official misconduct'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'bond at $5,500'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'arrested him on two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of misusing computer systems and official misconduct on Aug. 19'; 'has not entered a plea'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The officer was fired and arrested on 19 August 2026 on felony charges of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices and official misconduct and a misdemeanor charge of violating the public records law; a judge set bond at $5,500, and as of 28 August he had not entered a plea.","causal_attribution":"The department's announcement and the first appearance; USA TODAY's account of the arrest likely rests on the department, so this is not treated as independent corroboration. No court record was inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"their car's license plate searched hundreds of times by a police officer on the Flock license-plate-reader system while he was not working on an investigation involving the car","claim_id":"c1","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 (28 August 2026). Based on USA TODAY's own analysis of Flock search data and its inquiries to the department.","independence_group":"usat-tcpalm-flock-investigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.wjhg.com/2026/08/20/former-officer-jailed-after-allegedly-doing-more-than-350-flock-searches-same-license/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; WWSB via Gray News, 20 August 2026). Relays the Sarasota Police Department's statement and the probable-cause affidavit.","independence_group":"sarasota-pd-court-2026-08"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://cbs12.com/news/florida/florida-sarasota-police-officer-fired-arrested-over-alleged-misuse-of-flock-camera-database-law-enforcement-database-","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; CBS12 WPEC, 20 August 2026). Relays the Sarasota Police Department's announcement.","independence_group":"sarasota-pd-court-2026-08"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.fox13news.com/news/bond-set-ex-sarasota-officer-accused-misusing-flock-cameras-hundreds-times","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; FOX 13 Tampa Bay, 20 August 2026). Its reporter attended the first appearance; its search count is attributed to a USA Today reporter.","independence_group":"sarasota-pd-court-2026-08"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.mysuncoast.com/2026/08/24/former-sarasota-officer-charged-after-flock-license-plate-data-investigation/","kind":"local_tv_news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; ABC7 WWSB, 24 August 2026). Its search figures come from USA TODAY reporter Jack Lemnus, so it shares USA TODAY's group.","independence_group":"usat-tcpalm-flock-investigation"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://patch.com/florida/sarasota/sarasota-officer-leave-amid-investigation-database-misuse-police","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; Patch, 14 August 2026). Relays the department's news release; the officer is not named and Flock is not mentioned.","independence_group":"sarasota-pd-court-2026-08"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/crime/2026/09/30/two-pinellas-county-sheriffs-deputies-arrested-for-flock-alpr-misuse-florida-license-plate-readers/92020401007/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-04 (live; TCPalm, 30 September 2026). A USA TODAY Network recap of the same analysis; one sentence on this case.","independence_group":"usat-tcpalm-flock-investigation"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["privacy","justice","relationships"],"unknowns":["Who owns the car and whether that person has described any effect of the searches.","How USA TODAY linked the car to the officer’s former partner; the police have not identified the person.","The exact search count (335, 355 and 358 are reported) and the reason for the searches.","The court handling the charges and any outcome after the first appearance."],"geography":{"basis":"The officer served with the Sarasota Police Department in Florida, which investigated, fired and arrested him; he was held at the Sarasota County Jail (CBS12; WJHG). The tracked car carried a Florida license plate according to the affidavit (WJHG); the owner's residence is not otherwise stated. The charges were brought 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: a probable-cause affidavit relayed by WJHG and a USA TODAY analysis of Flock search data say a Sarasota police officer searched one car's plate hundreds of times on the Flock license-plate-reader system, and he has been fired and charged. The ex-girlfriend identification is USA TODAY's and is attributed. The automated readers generated the plate-read records; the misuse is recorded as a human act. Neither the officer nor the car's owner is named here.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-04"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The probable-cause affidavit, as reported by WJHG, says the officer searched the same Florida license plate 358 times through Flock, a license plate reader system; USA TODAY's analysis of Flock search data counted at least 335 searches. ABC7 WWSB describes Flock cameras as capturing license plates and other vehicle information as cars pass. The plate-read records about the car were the system's output; the searches are recorded as the officer's own acts. The sources do not describe the readers as AI. DAVID, the other database named, is the state driver and vehicle database and is not treated as an AI system here.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Sarasota, Florida: a police officer is fired and arrested after he allegedly searched one license plate hundreds of times on the Flock license-plate-reader system in 2025; USA TODAY says the car belonged to his former partner","summary":"A probable-cause affidavit, as reported by WJHG (Gray News), says a Sarasota Police Department officer searched the same Florida license plate 358 times through the Flock license-plate-reader system between May and October 2025, and that investigators wrote he was not actively working on a criminal investigation involving the vehicle during that period. A USA TODAY analysis of Flock search data counted at least 335 searches over two months, including 121 on one day, and USA TODAY reports that the car belonged to the officer's ex-girlfriend; police have not disclosed whom he was tracking. The department said it learned of the alleged misuse on 6 August 2026; USA TODAY says its reporter had asked the department about the searches two weeks before the 19 August arrest. The officer was placed on paid leave on 7 August and was fired and arrested on 19 August 2026 on two felony charges (a computer offence and official misconduct) and a misdemeanor public-records charge. A judge set bond at $5,500; as of 28 August he had not entered a plea.","incidentDate":"2025-05-01","incidentEndDate":"2025-10-31","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-08-14","aiSystem":"Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader system used by the Sarasota Police Department, which the officer searched through his police access (probable-cause affidavit as reported by WJHG; USA TODAY analysis of Flock search data)","aiProduct":"Flock Safety license plate readers","aiCompany":"Flock Safety","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"According to a probable-cause affidavit and a USA TODAY analysis of Flock search data, a police officer searched one car's license plate hundreds of times on the Flock license-plate-reader system while not working on an investigation involving the car; USA TODAY says the car belonged to his ex-girlfriend. He is charged with a computer offence and official misconduct.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the owner of the single car whose plate the officer searched, whom USA TODAY identifies as his ex-girlfriend (police have not identified the person). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US-FL","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":"2026-10-04T03:25:45.787158+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T03:25:45.787158+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["flock","alpr","license-plate-reader","police-misuse","former-partner","florida","sarasota","usa-today-analysis","made-claim-about"]}]}