When law enforcement touts the installation of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), the pitch to the community is always centered on precision and public safety. But what happens when the artificial intelligence behind the lens gets it catastrophically wrong?

 

In a recent, highly detailed investigative dispatch by Business Insider, correspondent Nicole Einbinder ripped the lid off the rapidly expanding deployment of Flock Safety cameras. While the billion-dollar tech company aggressively markets its system as an indispensable tool for catching fugitives, the deep-dive report—supplemented by emerging external research—paints a chilling picture of technological failure, lack of police verification, and innocent drivers facing down the barrel of a gun.