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# Police Officer Uses License Plate Reader to Stalk Woman
- URL: https://adjacent.media/signals/police-officer-uses-license-plate-reader-to-stalk-woman/
- Published: 2026-08-20T16:10:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-20T16:10:06.000Z
- Description: A cop’s casual admission—caught on body camera—that he used official surveillance tools to track a woman he found attractive reveals the absence of meaningful operational oversight in how officers deploy powerful databases and automated surveillance infrastructure.
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #signal, theme-culture, regulation/policy, privacy, surveillance

Source: [404 Media](https://www.404media.co/i-saw-a-shiny-thing-cop-explains-why-he-used-license-plate-reader-to-stalk-woman/?ref=adjacent.media)

A cop's casual admission—caught on body camera—that he used official surveillance tools to track a woman he found attractive reveals the absence of meaningful operational oversight in how officers deploy powerful databases and automated surveillance infrastructure. The problem is systemic: the same technologies sold to departments as public safety tools have zero friction for personal misuse, and the officer's explanation ("I saw a shiny thing") suggests neither shame nor concern about consequences. The footage documents how surveillance capabilities designed for criminal investigation become instruments of harassment when departmental culture treats them as perks rather than powers requiring accountability.