A Cop Searched 19,000 Flock Cameras Across 1,558 Cities. His Reason: 'LMAO'
Recorded: Sept. 15, 2026, 2:57 p.m.
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A Cop Searched 19,000 Flock Cameras Across 1,558 Cities. His Reason: 'LMAO' uk Sign In Account HomeCybersecurityA Cop Searched 19,000 Flock Cameras Across 1,558 Cities. His Reason: ‘LMAO’Instead of tracking suspects, cops across the country typed ‘LMAO’ and random gibberish into mandatory database search boxes Vinay Patel Published: Sep 15 2026, 11:28 AM BST An internal police audit reveals law enforcement officers are abusing a massive automated camera network for casual jokes and personal amusement A routine police search might involve looking for a stolen car or a wanted suspect. But one officer's reason for searching a vast network of automated licence plate readers was simply 'LMAO'.In July 2025, an officer with the Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff's Department used Flock Safety's surveillance system to search for a licence plate across more than 19,000 cameras covering 1,558 cities and towns. According to a record of the search, the reason entered was 'LMAO'.The case was among dozens identified in an analysis by the Electronic Frontier Foundation of Flock's search logs. The records show officers entering jokes, gibberish and other seemingly unserious terms into a field intended to document the reason for a search.Police Searches Included 'IDK' And GibberishData reviewed by the EFF included searches labelled 'LMAO', 'LOL', 'Hehe', 'Haha', 'idk' and 'blah'. Other entries included 'asdfg' and strings of apparently random keyboard characters. In one case, an officer entered: 'robbery I don't remember the case number leave me alone'.The searches identified by the EFF came from police departments across the country between 2023 and late 2025, when Flock changed how the reason field worked. The analysis also found more than 6,300 searches across more than 30 agencies that used 'TBD' as the stated reason. Flock's technology uses automated licence plate readers to collect vehicle-related information and allow law enforcement agencies to search data gathered by cameras across jurisdictions. The EFF says the system can provide access to sensitive location information and has raised concerns about the lack of judicial oversight surrounding ALPR searches.Flock Changes How Officers Justify SearchesFlock changed its system in late 2025, replacing the free-text reason field with a list of pre-populated categories that officers can select before searching. The EFF called the change a 'loss for transparency', arguing that selecting a generic category may provide less information about the actual purpose of a search. The EFF also contacted police departments whose officers were identified in its analysis. Some agencies said officers had been counselled, while others said they would investigate or review the searches.The findings add to broader concerns about the expanding use of ALPR technology and how police departments oversee access to the resulting data.Trump Has Backed Flock CamerasThe controversy comes as Flock receives high-profile political support. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the company during remarks to reporters on Sunday.Trump Says AI Will Create 'Millions and Millions' of Jobs as He Defends Data Centre BoomRead more Oracle's Cold 6 AM Layoff Emails Hit Staff Amid New Wave of Cuts: 'Today Is Your Last Working Day' A Cop Searched 19,000 Flock Cameras Across 1,558 Cities. His Reason: 'LMAO' Samsung Says Dua Lipa Has No Case Over $15M Image Lawsuit: 'Nothing Suggesting' She Endorsed TVs OpenAI Reveals There Was a Second Rogue AI Incident, Even Before Hugging Face: 'More' May Be Out There Paul Walker's Brother Won't Return in 'Fast Forever': Brian O'Conner Could Still Come Back AI & ChatGPTApple & iPhoneAndroid & GoogleSocial MediaMoney & WorkGaming & StreamingCybersecurity & ScamsFuture TechAbout UsContact UsTerms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCorrectionsEditorial GuidelinesFact-check Policy © |
An internal police audit has revealed that law enforcement officers are engaging in the casual use of a massive automated camera network for personal amusement, exemplified by a search across nineteen thousand Flock cameras spanning fifteen hundred and fifty-eight cities, with the stated reason being 'LMAO'. This incident, and many others documented in an analysis by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, demonstrates the potential for the misuse of automated license plate reader technology, highlighting broader accountability issues when police access extensive location data. The records show that officers frequently entered seemingly unserious terms, gibberish, and random strings into mandatory search reason fields, in addition to more specific, albeit still questionable, entries; some searches documented included narratives like 'robbery I don't remember the case number leave me alone'. Furthermore, data reviewed by the EFF indicated that searches labeled with terms such as 'LMAO', 'LOL', 'Hehe', 'Haha', 'idk', and 'blah' were prevalent across multiple police departments between 2023 and late 2025, alongside over six thousand thirty searches marked with 'TBD'. Flock's technology operates by utilizing automated license plate readers to aggregate vehicle information from cameras across various jurisdictions, granting law enforcement agencies the ability to search for data across these vast networks, which has prompted significant concern regarding the lack of judicial oversight surrounding these Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) searches. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has raised specific concerns about how this system provides access to sensitive location information and the insufficient regulatory framework governing these searches. In response to these scrutiny, Flock modified its system in late 2025, replacing the free-text reason field with a selection of pre-populated categories, a change the EFF criticized as a reduction in transparency because selecting a generic category may obscure the actual purpose of a search. Despite these changes, the inquiries from the EFF extended to police departments, some of which reported providing counsel to officers while others indicated a commitment to investigating or reviewing the searches, feeding into larger debates about the oversight of data access within law enforcement agencies utilizing this technology. The controversy is further complicated by the political support Flock has received; for instance, President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the company, suggesting an appreciation for its role in law enforcement, even while acknowledging potential infringements on civil liberties. This endorsement, alongside the network's expansion to over one hundred and twenty thousand cameras, underscores the larger accountability question regarding the scope of monitoring capabilities police possess when accessing such a broad repository of location data across numerous communities. As these tracking systems continue their rapid nationwide expansion, the central challenge remains ensuring that powerful tools developed for criminal investigation are not transformed into unchecked instruments of generalized monitoring. |