When Police Surveillance Becomes Personal: Officers Use License Plate Readers to Stalk Partners and Exes

Every license plate on the road feeds into a database that any officer can search, and there's no warrant required before they do. That's the core of a new Institute for Justice review: at least 24 cases nationwide of police using automated license plate readers (ALPR), like Flock Safety cameras, to stalk romantic partners, exes, coworkers, and even strangers. "The fundamental problem with these systems is that they place private information about people's movements over time in the hands of every officer," says IJ attorney Michael Soyfer. "Without the constitutional safeguard of a warrant requirement, that predictably allows officers to abuse their access to these systems for things like stalking romantic partners."

The scale of individual abuse is striking: a Milwaukee officer tracked a partner and her ex nearly 180 times in two months; a Sedgwick, Kansas police chief tracked his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend more than 200 times. These aren't isolated glitches — they're the predictable result of handing every badge holder a real-time surveillance tool with no independent check. And the safeguards companies point to are largely theater. Only a handful of the 24 cases were caught by internal review; most surfaced because victims came forward, often through public audit sites like HaveIBeenFlocked.com, not because the system policed itself.

Even the accountability that follows is inconsistent. Some officers face felony charges; others, like a Kenosha County deputy, simply "resigned with severance pay." A Jerome County, Idaho sheriff who ran hundreds of searches on his wife's vehicle faced no charges at all — he just retired early. And IJ stresses the 24 known cases are "almost certainly an undercount," since officers "frequently cite vague or inaccurate reasons" for searches, and quiet resolutions likely hide more.

The pattern points to a broader shift: surveillance infrastructure justified as a public-safety tool is being used as a private weapon, and the people it watches have no way to know until they're already being followed.

10 examples of officers using ALPR/Flock systems to stalk romantic interests:

1. Westmoreland County, PA (2021) — Michael McSherry tracked his estranged wife; pleaded guilty to stalking.

2. Sedgwick, KS (2023) — Chief Lee Nygaard tracked his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend 200+ times; resigned.

3. Costa Mesa, CA (2023) — Robert Josett tracked his mistress and her other partners; pleaded guilty to multiple charges.

4. Orange City, FL (2024) — Jarmarus Brown tracked his girlfriend and her family 100+ times over seven months; arrested.

5. Matteson, IL (2024) — Jaila Cole-Clark ran hundreds of searches on a former partner and their new partner; resigned mid-investigation.

6. Louisville, KY (2025) — Roberto Cedeno tracked an ex-partner and her friends hundreds of times; charged with multiple felonies.

7. Milwaukee, WI (2025) — Josue Ayala tracked a woman he was dating and her ex nearly 180 times; resigned after charges.

8. Braselton, GA (2025) — Chief Michael Steffman stalked a former partner and others; arrested.

9. Monroe County, FL (2026) — Lamar Roman tracked and pulled over a woman he met on a TV set; arrested.

10. Pasadena, TX (2026) — Sgt. Michael Palitz used Flock cameras to "track and stalk a female officer"; resigned.

Link:  NPR