Police departments across the United States have faced disciplinary actions after officers used automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras, such as Flock, to track individuals in personal relationships, with dozens of cases reported in 2025. Flock cameras, solar‑powered ALPR devices, are installed at about 80,000 locations nationwide and record billions of plates each month, supporting a business valued at $8.3 billion. Their use has expanded since 2013, when the ACLU noted that only a tiny fraction of scanned plates related to serious crimes. In Milwaukee, officer Josue Ayala searched the plate of a romantic partner more than 200 times and also looked up his partner’s ex, leading to criminal charges, resignation and a one‑year probation sentence. Officer Tehrangi Chapman, tasked with the investigation, was later charged with misuse of GPS information for similar conduct. The libertarian Institute for Justice identified at least 24 comparable incidents across 24 states in the previous two years, most resulting in criminal charges and job loss. Six new cases were reported this month alone in Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, California, Georgia and Wisconsin. Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, said the cameras can reveal “deeply personal and private information” about individuals and their movements. Flock Safety, the company that operates the cameras, has provided comment through press releases about its audit assistance tool. Mother Jones previously reported on California counties using ALPRs to collect data on people not suspected of crimes, and the ACLU noted in 2013 that only 47 of every million plates scanned in Maryland were linked to serious crimes. The company’s CEO, Garrett Langley, previously said he wanted cameras “on every corner,” and apologized after labeling activists “terroristic.” Grassroots groups such as DeFlock have mapped camera locations, and at least 30 municipalities have ended contracts with Flock in 2025. Marlow expects public opposition to government surveillance to continue growing as the technology’s potential for abuse becomes more evident.