A growing pattern of police officers abusing automated licence plate reader systems to track romantic interests has prompted a nationwide legal campaign challenging the constitutionality of warrantless surveillance databases.
A review by the Institute for Justice has identified at least 14 cases across the United States in which officers allegedly weaponised automated licence plate reader (ALPR) data to monitor current partners, ex-partners, and strangers they wished to pursue romantically. The incidents, the bulk of which occurred since 2024, have resulted in criminal charges and job losses in multiple states.
