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License Plate Snafu Leads to Major Police Stop
12 Jul
Summary
- A journalist was stopped by four police cars due to a license plate error.
- The error stemmed from a stolen plate report in California in June 2026.
- A software glitch in a license plate reader caused the incorrect alert.
In June 2026, a journalist named Joel Feder was subjected to a mistaken traffic stop in Plymouth, Minnesota. Four police vehicles converged on his location after a Flock license plate reader flagged his vehicle's plate twice. Feder, who was driving a Range Rover for reporting purposes, was confused and concerned as officers initiated a pat-down.
Officers informed Feder that his license plate was registered as stolen in a nationwide database. However, upon further investigation, Plymouth police discovered an error in the National Crime Information Center database. The license plate had been incorrectly entered with incomplete numbers after being reported as stolen in California on June 24, 2026.
Flock, the company operating the license plate readers, acknowledged the incident and stated they are investigating. They emphasized that alerts should be a component of an investigation, not the sole basis for a stop, and that such errors are rare. The incident has prompted Feder, who already reported on technology concerns, to explore the guardrails and laws surrounding such tracking technologies.
