Flock used 100+ times to track veteran who filmed traffic stop
Original: Flock used >100 times to track veteran who recorded traffic stop
Why This Matters
Case highlights how license-plate surveillance networks can be leveraged for retaliatory monitoring of civilians.
Wisconsin's Waukesha County Sheriff's Office used Flock Safety cameras over 100 times to track Navy veteran Napoleon Jones after he legally recorded a traffic stop on May 4, 2025. A federal lawsuit alleges the surveillance was retaliatory and violated his First Amendment rights.
On May 4, 2025, Navy veteran Napoleon Jones stood in a private parking lot in Sussex, Wisconsin, and legally recorded a traffic stop conducted by an out-of-county officer. Deputy Brandon Shayhorn subsequently pulled Jones over, claiming his temporary license plate was unreadable, then forcibly removed him from his vehicle and arrested him for 'resisting and obstructing.' Jones was held for five hours before being released without charges or citations. An internal post-arrest memo confirmed that Shayhorn's supervisor told him the stop had been unlawful. Jones filed a citizen's complaint the following day and retained attorney Nate Cade to pursue civil claims. During discovery, Cade uncovered a Flock Safety photograph of Jones' white BMW dated May 30, 2025 — 26 days after the incident — included in the sheriff's office's response to Jones' complaint. Further investigation revealed more than 100 Flock camera searches targeting a white BMW in the weeks following the arrest. Jones' federal lawsuit names the arresting officers and the department, alleging the Flock searches were conducted without a legitimate law enforcement purpose and constituted retaliation for Jones exercising his First Amendment right to record police activity.