Texas Man Wins $76 Verdict After AI License-Plate Alert Leads to Search

An AI-powered license-plate camera flagged Alec Schott’s truck, leading to a traffic stop, a 76-minute detention, and a search that uncovered no drugs. Schott later sued Bexar County, and a jury awarded him the $76 in damages he requested.

The Institute of Justice, which helped Schott with his case, argued that the traffic stop was unjustified. “Alec’s own dashcam footage shows he never swerved out of his lane,” the group said. “The deputy’s body camera footage shows Alec giving calm, matter-of-fact answers to the officer about a routine business trip. There was nothing suspicious about what he said, but the deputy called the drug dog anyway. And the handler’s body camera shows he signaled the dog moments before the dog jumped onto the truck and alerted.”

Mr. Schott was detained for 76 minutes while officers thoroughly searched his truck. Despite the drug dog’s alert, police found nothing.

Mr. Schott ultimately sued Bexar County. In late September, he won the case, and the jury awarded him the $76 token amount he had requested.

“Money was never important,” his lawyer said. “This is, and remains, a constitutional matter. The IJ will now seek to enforce the precedent across the state by asking the court to enjoin Bexar County from using frivolous traffic stops as a vehicle for warrantless searches.”

“This is what happens when mass surveillance reaches the shoulder of a highway,” Josh Windham, one of Schott’s attorneys, said in a statement. “An AI-powered camera flagged Alec’s license plate. An anonymous law enforcement officer determined that his perfectly normal trip was suspicious. Deputies were dispatched and discovered an unlikely violation.”

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office promotes the use of Flock Safety cameras but declined Ars’ request for comment.

Who monitors license-plate surveillance?

Long-time critics of automated license plate readers, including Flock Safety’s systems, say the technology is facing increasing scrutiny.

“This incident seems to be a very typical example of what we are increasingly seeing as the public becomes more engaged with ALPR surveillance: AI technologies that vendors tout with the promise of improving public safety often face a harsh reality check,” Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, wrote in an email to Ars.

“The truth is, ALPR poses a serious risk to Americans’ civil liberties, and without sensible guardrails and checks on how these powerful tools are used, they also pose serious risks to public safety, including drivers being inappropriately stopped or followed by police officers who misuse the technology.”