Cops Searched Thousands of Flock Cameras for Reasons of 'LMAO,' 'IDK,' 'Hehe,' And 'Asdfg'

In Lake County, Indiana, a sheriff's deputy utilized Flock's surveillance search tool to scan over 19,000 cameras in more than 1,558 cities and towns. The deputy's rationale for this extensive search was nothing more than the acronym "LMAO." This incident is part of a pattern emerging where numerous police officers are employing Flock's system to conduct searches with frivolous or nonsensical reasons, including "LOL," "Hehe," "Haha," "idk," "blah," "TBD," and even "robbery I don't remember the case number leave me alone."

Additionally, officers have been known to write down things like "idiot," "fuck this new search engine," "dickhead," "shithead," and "WEIRD KID" in the search reason box. Some have even resorted to typing random strings of letters such as "asdfg," "gyghkkghghjkghjk," "jhjhjkhj," "jkhhkjhjk," and "nmbvcbnm." These instances have been documented in audit logs, revealing hundreds of thousands of searches performed across police departments nationwide from 2023 to late 2025.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has investigated this phenomenon, highlighting the casual and reckless nature of some police officers when utilizing this powerful surveillance system. While some departments have claimed to investigate these officers for misconduct, the EFF argues that the lack of oversight and the overall inadequate auditing processes are deeply concerning.

They emphasize that the ease with which officers can conduct searches, often without a justified reason, fosters a culture of abuse and undermines constitutional privacy safeguards. The EFF is pushing for stricter regulations, including mandatory data deletion deadlines and the requirement for warrants based on probable cause, to prevent such abuse of the mass surveillance technology.