Documented Incident
EFF finds officers typed jokes and gibberish into Flock ALPR 'reason for search' fields
First reported: September 15, 2026 · 5 sources
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported that police officers across the US entered flippant or nonsensical text into the mandatory 'reason for search' field of Flock Safety's license plate reader network. Examples cited include a Lake County, Indiana sheriff's deputy who searched more than 19,000 cameras across 1,558 communities in July 2025 with the reason 'LMAO,' and a Goshen Police Department officer who searched 6,474 networks covering 82,413 cameras on May 7, 2025 with the reason 'idk.' The EFF said 'TBD' appeared in over 6,300 searches across more than 30 agencies, alongside profanity and keyboard mashing. Flock has since replaced the free-text field with pre-set offense categories, a change the EFF argues does not verify that the stated reason matches the actual purpose.
Search-reason logs are one of the few audit trails available for a network that lets one officer query vehicle location data across thousands of jurisdictions, and the EFF's findings go to whether that documentation can support meaningful oversight. How agencies and Flock respond sets expectations for audit and accountability standards in other communities using ALPR systems.
Key facts
- EFF cited a July 2025 Lake County, Indiana search across more than 19,000 cameras in 1,558 cities and towns logged as 'LMAO'
- A Goshen Police Department search on May 7, 2025 covering 82,413 cameras was logged as 'idk'
- 'TBD' appeared in more than 6,300 searches across more than 30 agencies, per the EFF
- Flock replaced the free-text reason field with dropdown offense categories in late 2025; EFF says the change does not verify actual search purpose
- The EFF says some agencies reported counseling officers and others said they would review the flagged searches; the logged text alone does not establish any search was unlawful
Timeline
- September 15, 2026Cops Searched Flock's 19,000-Camera Surveillance Network for Reasons Like 'LMAO' and 'IDK,' EFF Finds
- September 15, 2026Cops Searched Flock's 19,000-Camera Surveillance Network for Reasons Like 'LMAO' and 'IDK,' EFF Finds
- September 15, 2026A Deputy Searched 19,000 Flock Cameras and Logged the Reason as "LMAO"
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Cops Searched Flock's 19,000-Camera Surveillance Network for Reasons Like 'LMAO' and 'IDK,' EFF Finds (International Business Times, September 15, 2026)
- Cops Searched Thousands of Flock Cameras for Reasons of 'LMAO,' 'IDK,' 'Hehe,' And 'Asdfg' (Slashdot, September 15, 2026)
- Cops Searched Flock's 19,000-Camera Surveillance Network for Reasons Like 'LMAO' and 'IDK,' EFF Finds (International Business Times Australia, September 15, 2026)
- Cops Search Thousands of Flock Cameras for Reasons of ‘LMAO,’ ‘IDK,’ ‘Hehe,’ and ‘asdfg’ (404media.co, September 14, 2026)
- A Deputy Searched 19,000 Flock Cameras and Logged the Reason as "LMAO" (Gadget Review, September 15, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated September 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.