The nationwide debate over the power and oversight of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) has reached a boiling point in Florida after a police officer was arrested for weaponizing the system to stalk his estranged wife.
The disturbing case highlights a major vulnerability in modern police surveillance networks: the system’s safeguards can easily be bypassed by a rogue officer willing to lie.
The incident occurred in Haines City, a municipality located in Polk County, Florida. The city is outfitted with Flock Safety cameras, a popular surveillance network designed to read the license plates of passing vehicles and feed the data into a centralized, searchable database…