Gadgets & Workspaces · Story 1

This Cop Scanned A Woman's License Plate 179 Times And Somehow That Was Allowed

A Milwaukee police officer resigned after an investigation revealed he used automated license plate reader technology to scan a woman's vehicle 179 times over two months while he was dating her. The case became public after the woman checked a transparency website called Have I Been Flocked.}

The incident highlights how law enforcement surveillance tools can be misused for personal stalking, raising concerns about privacy protections and the need for oversight.

Key details

• A Milwaukee police officer used Flock automated license plate readers to track a woman he was dating nearly 180 times.
• The officer resigned after being caught via the Have I Been Flocked transparency website.
• Automated license plate readers are increasingly deployed by police departments nationwide.

Discussion angles

• Many argue that Flock surveillance technology, as deployed, enables abuse and should be made illegal.
• Commenters note that a victim had to use a public transparency tool to discover the stalking, suggesting citizens must now protect themselves from civil servants.
• The misuse is seen as a strong counter-argument to the position that 'if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear' regarding surveillance.
• Some commenters question whether the officer's actions constitute stalking, given the repeated, unauthorized tracking.