Who isn't surveilling women these days?There have been documented cases where law enforcement officers allegedly misused Flock Safety automated l
Who isn’t surveilling women these days?
There have been documented cases where law enforcement officers allegedly misused Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems to monitor romantic partners, ex-partners, or other people for personal reasons rather than legitimate police purposes. Some officers have faced discipline, termination, or criminal charges depending on the case.The warning sign is not always the technology. Sometimes the warning sign is who has access to it—and what they choose to do with that power.
Examples include:
A former Costa Mesa police officer was accused of using Flock and other law enforcement tools to track his wife, mistress, and romantic rivals; he later pleaded guilty to related charges.
A Milwaukee police officer was accused of using Flock searches to monitor someone he was dating and that person’s former partner, leading to criminal charges and policy changes within the department.
Two Greer, South Carolina officers were terminated after an internal review found violations of the department’s Flock camera use policy, including searches that were not for legitimate public safety purposes.
The larger safety issue—especially when discussing women’s safety—is this:
Technology created for public protection can become dangerous when people with authority misuse access to monitor someone’s private life.
For women experiencing stalking, harassment, coercive control, or abusive relationships, unauthorized tracking can create another layer of fear because the person using the technology may already have knowledge, power, or institutional authority.
Many women understand the fear of being watched.
It may be an ex who keeps showing up where they are.
A partner who somehow knows where they have been.
Someone who knows information they were never told.
A feeling that privacy is disappearing.
For women who have experienced stalking, controlling behavior, harassment, or abuse, surveillance is not an abstract issue.
It is about safety.
Recent cases involving misuse of law enforcement surveillance tools, including license plate reader systems, have raised an important question:
What happens when a tool designed for public safety is used for personal monitoring?
The answer matters because safety is not only about being protected from danger.
Safety is also about being protected from misuse of power.
Here are the red flags women should understand:
🚩 1. When someone uses access they were trusted with for personal reasons
Technology systems often exist for legitimate purposes.
License plate readers, location data, and other tools can help investigate crimes and support public safety.
But the red flag appears when someone with authorized access uses that information to watch, follow, intimidate, or control another person.
Access is not the same as permission.
Authority is not ownership over someone else’s life.
A badge, job title, relationship, or position of power does not erase another person’s right to privacy.
🚩 2. When monitoring becomes a substitute for trust
Healthy relationships do not require surveillance.
A partner who demands constant updates, tracks movements, checks devices without consent, or uses information to control behavior is not demonstrating love.
They are demonstrating a desire for control.
Women are often taught to dismiss these behaviors:
“He’s just protective.”
“He cares.”
“He worries.”
But control often begins by being disguised as concern.
A woman’s safety includes her right to exist without being watched.
🚩 3. When privacy violations are minimized
One of the most dangerous messages women receive is:
“It’s not a big deal.”
But privacy is a safety issue.
For someone leaving an unsafe relationship, being tracked or monitored can have serious consequences.
A woman trying to create distance may need that distance to survive.
Her location is not public property.
Her movements are not an invitation.
Her boundaries are not a challenge.
🚩 4. When systems have power but not enough accountability
The question is not only:
“What technology exists?”
The bigger question is:
“Who is responsible when that technology is misused?”
Any system that collects information about people must have:
- clear rules,
- oversight,
- consequences for misuse,
- protections for those affected.
Because a tool without accountability can become a tool of harm.
🚩 5. When women are expected to adjust instead of society addressing the behavior
Women are often told:
“Be more careful.”
“Don’t share too much.”
“Change your routine.”
“Watch what you post.”
Some safety awareness is wise.
But women should not have to shrink their lives because someone else chooses to violate boundaries.
The responsibility belongs with the person misusing power.
Not with the woman who wants to live freely.
The Bigger Truth
Throughout history, women have fought for the right to control their own bodies, choices, voices, and movements.
Today, that conversation includes technology.
Because autonomy is not only about physical freedom.
It is also about the freedom to move through the world without being secretly monitored, tracked, or controlled.
The question we must keep asking is:
Are our systems protecting women—or creating new ways for women to be watched?
Technology should serve safety.
It should never become another pathway for control.
A reminder for every woman:
I have the right to privacy.
I have the right to boundaries.
I have the right to move through the world without fear of being monitored or controlled.
My safety is not a privilege someone else grants me. My dignity already belongs to me.
Journal Reflections:
- Have I ever ignored a feeling that someone was watching, tracking, or controlling me?
- Where have I been taught to confuse monitoring with love?
- What boundaries around privacy do I need to honor more deeply?
- How can communities create safety without sacrificing women’s autonomy?
Ex-Costa Mesa police officer accused of using FLOCK cameras to track his mistress – CBS Los Angeles
Milwaukee police officer charged in Flock camera misuse case | FOX6 Milwaukee
2 Greer officers terminated for violating policy on Flock cameras, police say