Police officers across multiple jurisdictions have been caught using Flock license-plate reader technology to illegally track people they knew—including romantic interests and ex-partners—for personal purposes rather than legitimate law enforcement. At least a dozen documented cases exist, including a McHenry County police chief prosecuted for hundreds of unauthorized lookups. This exposes a systemic privacy vulnerability: agencies controlling access to surveillance systems can abuse them with minimal friction, and Flock's audit trails enabled investigators to catch these abuses after the fact rather than preventing them. The larger policy question is whether civilian access to automated plate readers should require real-time warrant verification or court-mandated audit logs tied to officer IDs.