{
  "id": 1981592,
  "title": "'I Saw a Shiny Thing': Cop Explains Why He Used License Plate Reader to Stalk Woman",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/i-saw-a-shiny-thing-cop-explains-why-he-used-license-plate-reader-to",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-19T17:14:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "404 Media",
    "slug": "404-media",
    "url": "https://www.404media.co/i-saw-a-shiny-thing-cop-explains-why-he-used-license-plate-reader-to-stalk-woman/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Body camera footage reveals a cop used license plate reader cameras to stalk a woman he met on a TV show set. In shocking footage, the officer explains his actions and the consequences. He met the woman, flirted with her, and used government databases to look her up. He accessed her license plate and address, then put her on a police \"hot list\" to alert him when she drove by a license plate reader camera. The officer nearly caused a collision while speeding to track her down and illegally pulled her over. The victim described feeling uncomfortable throughout their interactions and being relieved when the officer finally arrested him.",
  "summary": "Body camera footage shows police surveillance abuse is common: \"We’ve told them over and over again: 'You see a hot chick, you don’t look them up in a database.'\"",
  "key_points": [
    "Officer used license plate reader cameras to stalk a woman from a TV show.",
    "Cop accessed government databases with woman's license plate and address.",
    "Officer nearly caused collision and illegally pulled woman over."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}