North Carolina Officer Arrested for Misusing AI License Plate Readers to Track Civilian
A North Carolina police officer was arrested for using her department's Flock Safety license plate reader cameras 31 times to track her boyfriend's ex-wife without authorization or legitimate police purpose. An internal audit discovered the misuse, and investigators found she had falsely recorded the searches as official motor vehicle or burglary cases. The police department is investigating at least 10 other officers for similar violations of the system.
What happened
Former Mooresville Police Department officer Elizabeth Anne Snowman was arrested on August 5, 2026, for allegedly misusing Flock Safety License Plate Reader cameras. An internal audit revealed that Snowman had accessed the system 31 times for personal use, including two occasions when she was off-duty.
According to police, Snowman used the cameras to track her boyfriend's ex-wife's vehicle. When questioned about her access, she was allegedly untruthful about her reasons. Of the 31 searches, 29 were falsely recorded as motor vehicle infractions and two as burglary or robbery cases.
Reported impact
Snowman's unauthorized access tracked a civilian's vehicle movements across state lines without consent or legitimate law enforcement purpose. The misuse violated the privacy of an individual who was not suspected of any crime.
Index analysis
The case illustrates a governance failure in Flock camera access controls. Although Mooresville Police conduct monthly audits of license plate reader usage and require officers to document their reasons for access, the system failed to prevent or immediately detect an officer's serial unauthorized queries.
The police chief indicated at least 10 other officers were under investigation for similar Flock violations, with three cases identified as particularly problematic, suggesting systemic issues in oversight of the technology.
Governance controls
Mooresville Police Department conducts monthly audits of Flock camera access and requires officers to provide a reason for each query. However, Snowman falsely classified her unauthorized searches as official police work.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.