Sep 17, 2026 04:51 AM
(This post was last modified: Sep 17, 2026 12:30 PM by The Pact.)
San Jose officer fired for misusing Flock camera database in domestic abuse case.
Police officer shared location of a woman with his relative who is accused of abusing this woman.
San Jose Police have fired an officer who apparently thought the department’s Flock license‑plate tracking system was his own personal “Find My Victim” app.
The officer used the surveillance network to track down a woman, not to protect her, of course, but to help the cousin who was allegedly abusing her. Because nothing says “public servant” like moonlighting as your relative’s domestic‑violence concierge.
This firing is just the latest entry in the ever‑expanding anthology of “Police Misusing Surveillance Technology,” a genre that’s grown so fast it probably deserves its own Netflix category.
The officer reportedly pulled up the woman’s location on his "personal phone", which is a bold move for someone who apparently didn’t realise that surveillance systems… track things. Including him. He then sent the information straight to his cousin, the suspect, who promptly told the victim he knew where she was. Subtle.
Police only discovered the scheme because the woman reported that her abuser magically knew her whereabouts. The department immediately put the officer on leave and launched a criminal investigation, which is the bureaucratic way of saying, “We cannot believe you were this stupid.”
Chief Joseph said he was furious that an officer would betray the public’s trust like this, which is fair, because even among the long list of “things cops absolutely should not do,” helping your cousin stalk an abuse victim is impressively high‑ranking.
The officer’s name hasn’t been released, and although the case was referred to the district attorney, he hasn’t been charged. The DA’s office did not respond to requests for comment, possibly because they were too busy staring into the middle distance wondering how this keeps happening.
Joseph told the Mercury News that lawmakers should make it easier to charge officers who misuse surveillance systems. Meanwhile, the department referred the officer to the state commission that can ban him from ever working in law enforcement again, which seems reasonable, given that he’s already demonstrated he thinks “law enforcement” means “enforce whatever my cousin wants.”
License‑plate readers like Flock have been criticised for years, mostly because they’re perfect tools for mass surveillance, false positives, privacy violations, and, as we see yet again, police officers who treat them like TTinder for stalking.
Immigrant‑rights groups have also raised alarms, since agencies share this data with ICE, which uses it to pursue deportation efforts that are widely unpopular. And according to the Institute for Justice, dozens of officers nationwide have used these systems to stalk women. So this guy isn’t even original, he’s just another entry in a long, depressing pattern.
California lawmakers adjourned without passing new regulations on license‑plate readers for the fifth year in a row.
They actually passed a bill that would’ve added safeguards, but Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it. So the cameras remain, the data piles up, and apparently some officers still think “don’t stalk people” is an optional guideline.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...era-misuse
Police officer shared location of a woman with his relative who is accused of abusing this woman.
San Jose Police have fired an officer who apparently thought the department’s Flock license‑plate tracking system was his own personal “Find My Victim” app.
The officer used the surveillance network to track down a woman, not to protect her, of course, but to help the cousin who was allegedly abusing her. Because nothing says “public servant” like moonlighting as your relative’s domestic‑violence concierge.
This firing is just the latest entry in the ever‑expanding anthology of “Police Misusing Surveillance Technology,” a genre that’s grown so fast it probably deserves its own Netflix category.
The officer reportedly pulled up the woman’s location on his "personal phone", which is a bold move for someone who apparently didn’t realise that surveillance systems… track things. Including him. He then sent the information straight to his cousin, the suspect, who promptly told the victim he knew where she was. Subtle.
Police only discovered the scheme because the woman reported that her abuser magically knew her whereabouts. The department immediately put the officer on leave and launched a criminal investigation, which is the bureaucratic way of saying, “We cannot believe you were this stupid.”
Chief Joseph said he was furious that an officer would betray the public’s trust like this, which is fair, because even among the long list of “things cops absolutely should not do,” helping your cousin stalk an abuse victim is impressively high‑ranking.
The officer’s name hasn’t been released, and although the case was referred to the district attorney, he hasn’t been charged. The DA’s office did not respond to requests for comment, possibly because they were too busy staring into the middle distance wondering how this keeps happening.
Joseph told the Mercury News that lawmakers should make it easier to charge officers who misuse surveillance systems. Meanwhile, the department referred the officer to the state commission that can ban him from ever working in law enforcement again, which seems reasonable, given that he’s already demonstrated he thinks “law enforcement” means “enforce whatever my cousin wants.”
License‑plate readers like Flock have been criticised for years, mostly because they’re perfect tools for mass surveillance, false positives, privacy violations, and, as we see yet again, police officers who treat them like TTinder for stalking.
Immigrant‑rights groups have also raised alarms, since agencies share this data with ICE, which uses it to pursue deportation efforts that are widely unpopular. And according to the Institute for Justice, dozens of officers nationwide have used these systems to stalk women. So this guy isn’t even original, he’s just another entry in a long, depressing pattern.
California lawmakers adjourned without passing new regulations on license‑plate readers for the fifth year in a row.
They actually passed a bill that would’ve added safeguards, but Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it. So the cameras remain, the data piles up, and apparently some officers still think “don’t stalk people” is an optional guideline.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...era-misuse
![[Image: zMpMcDB.png]](https://i.imgur.com/zMpMcDB.png)