EFF flags vague reasons in police searches of Flock licence-plate network
An Electronic Frontier Foundation analysis found searches recorded with entries including “LMAO”, “LOL” and “TBD”, raising questions about oversight of cross-jurisdiction vehicle data.
Police officers used jokes, gibberish and seemingly vague entries to record reasons for searches of Flock Safety’s automated licence plate reader network, according to an analysis by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
In July 2025, an officer with the Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Department searched for a licence plate across more than 19,000 cameras covering 1,558 cities and towns. The reason recorded for the search was “LMAO”.
The EFF identified dozens of searches between 2023 and late 2025 with entries including “LOL”, “Hehe”, “Haha”, “idk”, “blah”, “asdfg” and apparently random keyboard characters. More than 6,300 searches across more than 30 agencies reportedly used “TBD” as the stated reason.
Flock’s system uses automated licence plate readers to collect vehicle-related information and allows participating law enforcement agencies to search data gathered across jurisdictions. The EFF has raised concerns about access to sensitive location information and limited judicial oversight of such searches.
Flock changed the search-reason field in late 2025, replacing free text with pre-populated categories. The EFF described the change as a loss for transparency, arguing that generic categories may provide less information about the purpose of a search.
The EFF contacted police departments whose officers appeared in its analysis. Some agencies said officers had been counselled, while others said they would investigate or review the searches. The “LMAO” entry does not establish why the search was conducted, but the findings highlight questions about how police access to expanding licence plate networks is overseen.
