A rogue California cop was canned after reportedly using automated license plate reader information to help his cousin, a suspect in a domestic violence case.<\/p>\n
The San Jose police officer was fired after using his personal phone to enter the Flock camera system <\/a>and providing the location of a vehicle to his relative, according to police on Friday. <\/p>\n The San Jose Police Department in California. Google<\/p>\n An officer was fired after sharing information to his cousin, who was a suspect in a domestic violence case Instagram\/@San Jose Police Department<\/p>\n \u201cWhen an officer violates the public\u2019s trust this severely, my responsibility is clear: that person cannot remain in a position of police authority, and they cannot wear the San Jose badge. This technology is new; the standard is not,\u201d San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said in a statement.<\/p>\n Following a yearlong investigation, the officer was fired in April according to The Mercury News. <\/a>The officer\u2019s cousin used the vehicle information to track down a woman who alleged he had abused her. <\/p>\n A Flock camera monitors passing traffic on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in Miami, Florida. Florida announced it will remove license plate readers, such as Flock cameras, from all state highways, citing an increase in reports of misuse of the systems. Getty Images<\/p>\n Prior to the incident, the officer had authorization to go into the database so he technically did not commit a crime. However, law enforcement officials are no longer able to access the Flock system on their personal devices going forward.<\/p>\n This comes as Flock cameras have been under heavy criticism and as some police officers have abused the system.<\/p>\n A Flock Safety license plate reader camera is seen along a roadway on Saturday, September 12, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Flock Safety cameras capture license plates and vehicle information for use by law enforcement and other authorized organizations. ZUMAPRESS.com<\/p>\n A Costa Mesa cop pleaded guilty in April for using Flock license plate readers to track down his mistress and romantic rival. A New York sheriff\u2019s investigator was also arrested last week for allegedly using the cameras <\/a>to track down her ex-girlfriend\u2019s car thousands of times. <\/p>\n