Automated camera glitch triggers double gunpoint stop for Wisconsin motorist
Amber Newell was pulled over at gunpoint twice in one week after an administrative error left a false positive active in law enforcement databases.
Amber Newell of Brookfield, Wisconsin, was stopped at gunpoint by police on two separate occasions within a single week after an automated Flock camera system incorrectly flagged her vehicle as being linked to a homicide investigation. The incidents occurred on Interstate 94 near Milwaukee, with the first stop taking place on a Monday and the second occurring on the following Thursday.
Milwaukee police have admitted that the alert was not removed from the system after detectives no longer required it, a failure that directly resulted in the traumatic events. Flock cameras are automated systems that scan license plates and compare them against active alerts uploaded by law enforcement. When a match is identified, particularly one tied to a violent crime, officers are trained to treat the situation as urgent and approach with caution.
During the first incident, Brookfield officers surrounded Newell’s vehicle with guns drawn and a passenger’s hands visible out the window. The stop occurred in plain view of passing traffic and was captured on cell phone cameras, as reported by Local 12. The same scenario repeated the following week when the erroneous alert remained active in the database.
The system relies on human operators to update and remove alerts, and in this instance, an employee failed to remove the alert after it was no longer needed. Brookfield’s police chief defended his officers, stating they responded appropriately given the information available to them at the time. The chief noted that officers are justified in treating a homicide alert as a serious threat until it is verified as false.
The oversight has had a lasting impact on Newell and her family. Her young daughter has reportedly asked if the police are going to “get us” again every time they get in the car. The incident highlights the risks associated with automated surveillance tools, where a failure in administrative maintenance can lead to severe consequences for innocent citizens.
