US police using AI to stop ‘suspicious’ drivers

AI license plate surveillance from companies such as Flock have evolved into police conducting traffic stops due to AI algorithms deeming people’s driving patterns as ‘suspicious.’

There has been an emerging trend in the U.S. of police stops having no discernible reason or explanation, these “pretextual stops” are part of Flock’s advanced license plate tracking AI system already in use by many police departments in the U.S.

This new system offers police departments the capability for wide-ranging, open-ended AI queries of license plates and other data including arrest records, case files, and databases from data brokerages.

In addition to flagging travel patterns that are “suspicious,” this advanced system also tracks people’s associations by analyzing which vehicles were frequently seen with other vehicles.

In an AI-flagged “pretextual stop”, a driver is stopped for a minor infraction (such as drifting out of a lane or failing to use a turn signal) a cover for the real reason which is an AI flag on their driving.

Police even have called these stops “whisper stops” or “intel stops.”

One example includes the story of a man who sells oilfield supplies being stopped in Texas by one of these “whisper” stops, the officer alleged the driver drifted over his lane line (something which later dashcam footage showed to be false).

The man sued the police and won after it was revealed that a federal fusion center had deemed him ‘suspicious’ because he drove from Houston to the town of Carrizo Springs, and then back the next day.

These unlawful stops are pushing people to demand U.S. lawmakers to put a stop to license plate surveillance, location tracking of any kind, and mass surveillance in general.