Description: Michael Steffman, then police chief of Braselton, Georgia, allegedly used Flock automated license plate readers to stalk and harass multiple people. One woman said he used the cameras to track her location. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested him on charges including stalking and misuse of the systems after an investigation lasting several months. He resigned from the department.
Editor Notes: Incident ID date marked 11/19/2025; ID created 10/18/2026.
Entities
View all entitiesAlleged: Surveillance technology developers , Flock Safety and Automated license plate reader (ALPR) developers developed an AI system deployed by Stalkers , Police officers , Police departments in the United States , Michael Steffman , Law enforcement and Braselton Police Department (Georgia), which harmed Women and girls , Women , Victims of stalking , Privacy and Individuals whose license plate data were accessed for non-law-enforcement purposes.
Alleged implicated AI systems: Surveillance technology , Flock Safety automated license plate reader system and Automated license plate readers (ALPR)
Incident Stats
Incident ID
1760
Report Count
1
Incident Date
2025-11-19
Editors
Daniel Atherton
Incident Reports
Reports Timeline
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BRASELTON, Ga. (AP) — A police chief in suburban Atlanta has been arrested on charges that he used the city’s automated license plate recognition cameras to stalk and harass multiple people.
Michael Steffman, 49, had been the police chief s…
Variants
A "variant" is an AI incident similar to a known case—it has the same causes, harms, and AI system. Instead of listing it separately, we group it under the first reported incident. Unlike other incidents, variants do not need to have been reported outside the AIID. Learn more from the research paper.
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