印第安纳州科科莫警官被诉滥用车牌识别器追踪前妻
据《印第安纳波利斯星报》10月7日报道，科科莫市一名警官被指利用全市的Flock车牌识别监控摄像头追踪前妻车辆长达数周，其前妻方面已于10月7日向其发出正式索赔通知，面临潜在诉讼。此案凸显了人们对警察滥用强大监控技术日益增长的担忧。
据报道，科科莫警察局警官马修·H·约翰逊（Matthew H. Johnson）与其前妻萨拉·约翰逊（Sarah Johnson）的离婚于2026年6月30日正式生效。索赔通知指控，约翰逊此后滥用警察职权，动用城市Flock自动车牌识别系统——记录每一辆经过车辆的时间、地点与方向的警用监控网络——在数周内持续监控前妻的车辆，试图搜集对自己有利的子女抚养权证据。
索赔通知称，萨拉·约翰逊后来发现一辆警用车辆停在自家车道上，才察觉被跟踪。她的律师马克·哈拉塔（Marc Halata）表示，此案说明为公共安全而建的监控技术落入不当之手会变成个人滥用的工具：“警察不能动用秘密的警察监控权力去跟踪前妻。”
科科莫警察局长道格拉斯·斯托特（Douglas Stout）以内部调查正在进行为由拒绝置评；该局未说明约翰逊目前是否仍在一线执勤。
Flock公司首席执行官加勒特·兰利（Garrett Langley）回应称，所有部署Flock摄像头的城市都必须签署禁止个人使用的使用政策，公司也提供审计工具以发现滥用。隐私倡导者长期警告，车牌识别网络在印第安纳州与全美迅速铺开，对无辜司机的行踪形成详细记录，却缺乏统一的保障措施。在印第安纳州，索赔通知是起诉政府雇员前的必经程序。
Kokomo Officer Accused of Using License Plate Cameras to Track Ex-Wife
KOKOMO, Ind. — A Kokomo police officer faces a potential lawsuit after he was accused of using the city's Flock Safety license plate reader cameras to track his ex-wife's car for weeks — a case that highlights growing concerns about police misuse of powerful surveillance technology, the Indianapolis Star reported Oct. 7.
Officer Matthew H. Johnson of the Kokomo Police Department received a formal notice of claim Oct. 7 on behalf of his ex-wife, Sarah Johnson, alleging he used his police powers to spy on her after their divorce was finalized June 30, 2026. According to the notice, Johnson used Flock automated license plate recognition cameras — a network of police cameras that log the time, location and direction of every passing vehicle — to monitor Sarah Johnson's vehicle over a period of several weeks in an effort to build a child custody case.
She discovered the tracking when she found a department vehicle in her driveway, according to the claim. Her attorney, Marc Halata, said the case illustrates how surveillance technology built for public safety can become a tool of personal abuse in the wrong hands. "Police don't get to use secret police surveillance powers to stalk their ex-spouses," Halata said.
Kokomo Police Chief Douglas Stout declined to comment, citing an active internal investigation. The department has not said whether Johnson remains on active duty.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley responded that every city deploying Flock cameras must agree to a usage policy prohibiting personal use, and that the company provides audit tools to detect misuse. Privacy advocates have long warned that license plate reader networks, which have spread rapidly across Indiana and the nation, create detailed records of innocent drivers' movements with few consistent safeguards. The notice of claim is a required step before a lawsuit can be filed against a government employee in Indiana.
图片来源：图：科科莫市政厅与警察局大楼。公有领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
