I Reported on Flock's Cameras. Now I'm One of the System's Mistakes

We have updated our Privacy Policy. Please review to learn more. By continuing to use our services, you agree to these updates.

×

Search for:

svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">

svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">

svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">

svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900">

I Reported on Flock’s Cameras. Now I’m One of the System’s Mistakes

How a typo entered 2,000 miles away triggered Flock's cameras — and led four police officers to surround me.

By Joel Feder

Published

Jul 22, 2026 1:38 PM EDT

Add The Drive (opens in a new tab)

More information<br>Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results

Plymouth Police Department/The Drive

The biggest car news and reviews, no BS

Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.

Email address

Sign Up

Thank you!

Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.

Typically I report the news, but sometimes, rarely, I am the news. That time just came. Millions of people saw the story about my wife and I getting surrounded by the police after errors made by law enforcement and Flock Safety’s systems led authorities to believe I had performed grand theft auto with a $155,000 Range Rover. The body cam footage of the situation went viral.

The reason this story became a lightning rod placing my face on countless news programs and my voice on a laundry list of radio shows and podcasts isn’t a secret: It landed in the middle of a heated debate around the country about Flock Safety’s, among others, growing network of AI-powered surveillance cameras, which police and the feds can tap into to track people’s lives.

It was just weeks before my encounter with the law that we had an episode of The Drivecast featuring security expert and Ent.AI CISO Matt Hurewitz talking about how license plate cameras are tracking your life without a warrant. At the time, Hurewitz said, "I think if you wait long enough there will be examples that affect people in a very real way, and that will cause a conversation to happen, which I think is really important.” Except we didn’t have to wait long, at least I didn’t.

Flock automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) have constantly been in the news as police get caught using them to stalk people. And Leonardo’s ALPRs are using a technology called SignalTrace to scrape electronic bluetooth hardware codes from your smart devices to build a digital map of your life without you ever even needing to own a car. It’s a scary world and suddenly America is barreling down the possibility of becoming a surveillance state, if it isn’t already one now.

On the latest episode of The Drivecast we go inside the story of my grand theft auto adventure, answer questions people have been asking right down to why were there four squad cars and four cops, and discuss the surveillance state looming over America’s roads along with what comes next.

First time here? The Drivecast is The Drive‘s weekly podcast that takes you behind-the-scenes on the largest controveries, stories, and characters shaping the automotive industry along with the way our roads look today. Powered by The Drive‘s inside access, original reporting, exclusives, and insights, The Drivecast aims to make everyone an insider.

Listen to The Drivecast via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. Love it? Like it? Want to help? Leave a five-star review on your platform of choice to help get The Drivecast in front of more people. Have a suggestion, tip, request, or feedback? Drop us a line at feedback@thedrive.com. I promise, we read every single email.

Full Transcript

Kyle: Hello everyone and welcome to The Drivecast. I’m Kyle Cheromcha, Editor-in-Chief of The Drive.

Joel: And I’m Joel Feder, The Drive’s Director of Content and Product.

Kyle: The Drivecast is our weekly podcast giving you an inside look at the biggest stories, controversies, and people shaping the automotive industry. Sometimes we report the news, and sometimes we are the news. That’s exactly what happened two weeks ago when Joel published his report about being mistakenly tracked by police via Flock license plate cameras and ambushed in a strip mall parking lot, which, wow, I still can’t believe I’m even saying those words. Anyway, that story has absolutely ripped around the internet, made global headlines, and it’s not even close to over.

Joel: Yeah, I’ve had a few busy weeks, legit. I’m emotionally and physically exhausted. But importantly, I did not get shot, I did not go to jail, and because this is me, I ended up working tirelessly and easily on the largest and most important story of my 15-plus-year career.

Kyle: Which, while I was angry and naturally concerned over Joel’s well-being when he called me on that fateful Sunday right after police let him go,...