Police Chiefs Abuse Flock LPR System to Stalk Ex-Partners
Original: Flock-Powered Police Chiefs Stalking Women Shows Why Warrants Are Needed
Why This Matters
Widespread LPR abuse by law enforcement demonstrates need for warrant requirements to prevent tracking of citizens without judicial oversight.
A police chief in Illinois was arrested June 2026 for using Flock license plate readers to track six people, including three ex-romantic partners, over 18 months. At least 18 similar cases nationwide document law enforcement misusing the technology to locate romantic rivals and ex-partners without warrants.
The Holiday Hills, Illinois police chief and part-time Prairie Grove officer was arrested June 18, 2026, charged with two counts of official misconduct after prosecutors alleged he used Flock LPR and the Illinois State Police LEADS database to track six acquaintances over 18 months from February 2024 to November 2025. Three tracked individuals were women with whom he had romantic relationships. He ran one ex-boyfriend's license plate 140 to 178 times across several months, including 86 searches while off duty. A September 2025 voicemail warned the man: "This is the only time I'm going to be nice about this." A judge denied the man's protective order petition in February 2026, but the chief was arrested on criminal warrant four months later. The Institute for Justice documented at least 18 cases nationwide of Flock LPR abuse by law enforcement targeting romantic partners and rivals, described as "almost certainly an undercount." Notable cases include a Braselton, Georgia police chief arrested November 2025 after GBI audit review; a Jerome County, Idaho sheriff who ran his wife's plate over 700 times in three months; and a Sedgwick, Kansas chief who tracked his ex-girlfriend's plate 164 times. Lower-ranking officers show the same pattern. Flock's Chief Legal Officer Dan Haley acknowledged in May 2026 radio appearance that such misuse occurs, stating "the most common thing" is officers using the system "to figure out where an ex-girlfriend is." Despite these admissions, Flock maintains its system tracks vehicles, not people, per statements by Chief Communications Officer Josh Thomas.