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Drew Harwell

@drewharwell.com
2 followers 0 following 51 posts

tech & society @washingtonpost.com stories: drewharwell.com videos: tiktok.com/@drewharwell + instagram.com/drewharwell

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Reposted by Drew Harwell
Helen Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 16h
Trump’s new AI website is kinda fun, it turns out.
Can the president use taxpayer funds to air his old campaign ads on TV?

No. Federal appropriations law has long barred using taxpayer funds for political advertising.
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Donie O’Sullivan @donie.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“It’s crazy,” Fuentes, 28, said during one of his near-nightly shows. “I have done nothing my whole life and career but attack women and have negative attitudes toward women, and it’s women that are really backing me up.” Read this from @drewharwell.com wapo.st/4hhXF1t
wapo.st
She helped lead a far-right internet movement. Then it turned on her.
Amy Dangerfield worked to become one of Nick Fuentes’s model “groypettes,” but a vicious fight left her grappling with the dark side of far-right fame.
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Kylie Cheung @kylietcheung.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I think its important to understand the campus sexual assault crisis is way worse than you think. universities suspend just 1/12,400 students each year for sexual misconduct & expel 1/22,900. once you read title ix administrators in their own words, you get a sense why that is:
jezebel.com
Not Only Do Campus Sexual Assailants Go Unpunished, They Often Get Special Treatment
Since 2007, Jezebel has been the Internet's most treasured source for everything celebrities, sex, and politics...with teeth.
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The idea that people want AI oversight to happen "all of a sudden" ignores years of research, warnings, and policy efforts. The delay hasn’t been a lack of awareness; it’s been because of years of industry lobbying against regulation, political resistance, and inaction.
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“She’d been told grim things about Jews when she was a kid, by her Hungarian grandfather, but never like this, from someone her age.” Family “wisdom” like this is one of the key ways fascistic ideas transfer from generation to generation like a rhizome. Fuentes’s message fell on fertile ground.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 27/09/2026
New: She was a foot soldier for Nick Fuentes. Then his movement turned on her. Inspired by tradwives, Amy Dangerfield worked to become one of his model “groypettes.” A vicious fight left her grappling with the dark side of far-right fame. wapo.st/4da9OTD
wapo.st
She helped lead a far-right internet movement. Then it turned on her.
Amy Dangerfield worked to become one of Nick Fuentes’s model “groypettes,” but a vicious fight left her grappling with the dark side of far-right fame.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 25/09/2026
Horror movie idea: An endless line of Trump sources calling and screaming at you "MARK HALPERIN"
My Trump sources say the president's worst nightmare imaginable has arrived... panicked texts and emails from GOP insiders are blowing up my phone. They're all saying the same thing: MARK HALPERIN
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 24/09/2026
Don Jr.-backed drone-parts manufacturer congratulates Eric Trump-backed drone manufacturer on winning a DoD contract.
Unusual Machines
@UnusualMachines
18h
More momentum for XTEND. 🚀

Congrats to the team on another important U.S. defense milestone. Proud to be an investor and supplier. 🦅

$UMAC $XTND #Drones #DefenseTech
Unusual Machines Inc
UMAC
$23.24
+2.42%
@XTEND_XR
XTEND
@XTEND_XR
Sep 23
XTEND has been awarded Phase III of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Modular Kinetic Lethal Drone (MKLD) program.

The award follows XTEND’s recent Gauntlet II top-performer selection under the Drone Dominance Program.

Read more: xtend.me/xtend-secures-…
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 24/09/2026
Our Flock reporting just got five cops arrested. The Indianapolis officers were just criminally charged for spying on women. @aaronschaffer.com, @douglasmac.bsky.social and I found suspicious searches and got their agency to investigate. How many bad cops are still getting away? wapo.st/4xDOH3d
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Reposted by Drew Harwell
Jeffrey Vagle @jvagle.me · 23/09/2026
More accurately, OpenAI developers and management built an automated system with unfettered access, unmonitored agents, prompting an LLM with zero safeguards and trained to be persistent until it drops, suggesting an increasing number of crazy activities, and running it for days without monitoring.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 23/09/2026
Starting to suspect the White House's ban of media outlets it doesn't like isn't actually about professional standards around anonymous quotes
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 23/09/2026
Five cops in Indianapolis were just criminally charged with abusing Flock to spy on their ex-wives, their wives' ex-partners and women they met on duty. Audit was triggered by us at the @washingtonpost.com, the prosecutor said. From last month: wapo.st/4yfNHng
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Eileen Guo @eileenguo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New investigation from @jamesmodonnell.bsky.social & me into the border #SurveillanceTech by #Anduril, General Dynamics, and Israeli co. Elbit Systems that failed to catch 1 in 4 deaths within range. In other words: 1,050+ people dying on camera. www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1... 1/x
technologyreview.com
The US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?
Surveillance towers, increasingly powered by AI, promised faster responses to crossings. Our investigation of deaths near the towers found they are failing to deliver.
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Jesse Eisinger @jeisinger.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NEW: Remember Don Jr’s wedding ceremony? In the Bahamas… Fireworks, dancers… “Just really close friends,” Don Jr. said. Well, guess who paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars of it? A Russian oligarch who is close to Putin. www.propublica.org/article/dona...
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 11/09/2026
"People assume because he’s very rich that he’s not crazy. But the terrifying thing might be that he’s crazy and he’s very rich and powerful." www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
hollywoodreporter.com
Elon Musk Unmasked in Alex Gibney Documentary: “Insane a Person This Chaotic Has So Much Power”
He is the richest man on earth. An explosive new film from the Oscar-winning director suggests he also may be among the most dangerous.
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Reposted by Drew Harwell
Chris Ingraham @cingraham.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
After a Flock camera mistook a livestock trailer for a white sedan, cops detained (at gunpoint) an innocent county extension agent picking up piglets for a 4H show www.farmprogress.com/technology/e...
farmprogress.com
Extension agent caught in middle of license plate camera mix-up
Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers in rural areas are meant to keep us safe, but errors can put innocent people at risk.
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Reposted by Drew Harwell
Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Pretty much every 4-star who provided forces for the Iran war voiced growing concerns to Hegseth of risk to their missions, including homeland defense, if the U.S. stays the course. Details from a classified assessment www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Military leaders warn Hegseth against extending Iran war operations
A recent classified assessment advised that prolonged large-scale operations in the Middle East risk weakening U.S. capabilities elsewhere.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 28/08/2026
Like everything Deena writes, this is fascinating!!
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Reposted by Drew Harwell
Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
NEW: Police are spending hundreds of thousands of opioid settlement dollars on Flock cameras and other AI-powered license plate readers. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Police are spending opioid settlement funds on Flock cameras
Historic opioid settlements were supposed to be a lifeline for underserved communities. But much of that money is flowing to law enforcement.
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Reposted by Drew Harwell
Dave Jorgenson @davejorgenson.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
This is consistent with my neighborhood FB page in KC. HUGE fans of Flock as recently as June.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 28/08/2026
New: Americans' feelings toward Flock & license-plate readers have completely flipped since last year. More Americans now oppose police use than support it, saying the cameras don't make them feel safer and that they don't want any near their homes. Gift link: wapo.st/4gwxmTq
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 24/08/2026
"I just can’t imagine having that much wealth and power and using it to kick people when they are down" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2... @lizzalichka.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
How one billionaire’s crusade against homelessness became Trump’s playbook
Long before Silicon Valley embraced Trump, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale wanted to remake the government. Through the Cicero Institute, he has shifted the nation's approach to homelessness. Now, hi...
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 23/08/2026
"He followed his sources into this world of conspiracy theories and nihilism" www.washingtonpost.com/business/202... @scottnover.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
How a dogged D.C. journalist became Trump’s investigative reporter in the White House
Once a reporter for the Associated Press and The Washington Post, Solomon veered rightward in his coverage. His prize: a job in Donald Trump’s White House.
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Reposted by Drew Harwell
Jake Laperruque @jakelaperruque.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
From the Free Press to the Manhattan Institute to Richard Hanania, there is a concerted campaign underway to brand Flock as a public safety savior But the reality is there's no evidence ALPRs actually have a meaningful impact on crime, and a wide range of dangers from this surveillance tech
techpolicy.press
Unless Flock is Reined In, Mass Video Surveillance Will Grow Even More Pervasive
Automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems are facing a moment of public reckoning in the US, writes Jake Laperruque.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 19/08/2026
A sheriff's office in Louisiana just fired a Flock-misusing deputy known as DJ Bulletproof (the media outlet was us, btw) www.wdsu.com/article/loui...
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. —
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has terminated an employee accused of improperly using Flock cameras for personal use.

According to JPSO, on Aug. 17, a member of the media contacted JPSO about the allegations of improper use.

Advertisement
Sheriff Joseph P. Lopinto directed an internal investigation and found that the employee used a Flock camera to search a single license plate several thousand times over the course of several years.

Sources confirmed to WDSU that the former employee's name is Nathan Rome, who is also a popular deejay known as "DJ Bulletproof."
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 19/08/2026
We unmasked the cops who misused Flock to spy on their spouses. Their police departments weren't checking their searches, so we did it for them. One just got arrested. Here's how we did it. Gift link: wapo.st/4xSDfS4 witth all stars @douglasmac.bsky.social @aaronschaffer.com
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Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
NEW: Flock has said for years its cameras don’t identify or track people. We obtained the code for its police AI and rebuilt parts of it. The tool can find witnesses, surface associates, search people by race or physical description, and flag vehicles by how they move. W/ @dell.bsky.social
wired.com
Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code
Flock’s surveillance cameras have already sparked outrage. WIRED reconstructed its next-generation AI system, already in use by some police, to confirm it goes much further than tracking license plate...
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 19/08/2026
New: We found cops who misused Flock to spy on their wives. Their bosses at the police department had no idea. Three are being investigated and one was arrested after we asked about their searches. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2... @douglasmac.bsky.social @aaronschaffer.com
washingtonpost.com
We found cops who misused Flock. Their police departments didn’t know.
Police departments have powerful tools to track how officers use Flock’s license-plate cameras. But across the country, agencies often don’t perform oversight, leaving potential abuse to be uncovered ...
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Alex DeLuca @alexldeluca21.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Someone melted (!) and cut down two Flock cameras in Fort Lauderdale last month, police say. www.miaminewtimes.com/news/melted-...
miaminewtimes.com
'Melted and slashed': Someone took out two Fort Lauderdale Flock cameras
Police say one pole had been cut from the ground, possibly with a knife
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Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This whole thing is really disturbing. I don’t know of any previous case in which the government subpoenaed a reporter for asking a question, let alone a question that not even the government has suggested implicated classified information. 1/
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 14/08/2026
"A president selling priority access to news he himself generates for the benefit of a private company he controls is so blatantly corrupt and unconstitutional that it would've been hard to fathom just a few years ago" www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... @rbeggin.bsky.social @cqzakrz.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Truth Social’s sale of fast access to Trump posts draws legal concerns
A lawsuit filed this week alleges that the product is unconstitutional, and other experts warn it could violate securities laws.
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Michael Bolden @mbolden.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“I’m not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures — on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event,” wrote Hausfather on X. wapo.st/4zet8s7
wapo.st
We’ll soon get a glimpse of future temperatures, thanks to this record El Niño
It will act like a climate time machine, temporarily pushing temperatures to levels that otherwise might not be felt for a decade or so.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 13/08/2026
In our story on the cops who stalk women with license-plate readers, we said Flock could make two simple changes to reduce abuse: Require case numbers for every search and proactively scan for suspicious behavior. Now, the company is adopting both wapo.st/3UgJLmZ
wapo.st
Flock unveils changes after Post report on police misuse of its network
The license-plate-reader firm said it will require stricter oversight after a Washington Post investigation found dozens of officers had misused its cameras to spy on their exes and romantic interests...
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Washington Post Data Team @wpdatateam.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Voter turnout in Shelby County, Tenn., was the highest in a decade for Democratic House primaries after the state's Republican-led legislature broke up its only majority-Black congressional district, @ence.bsky.social found. "People are pissed off." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Voter turnout surges in Tennessee after Black-majority district is erased
High Democratic turnout for House primaries in Shelby County, which includes Memphis, is the latest sign that redistricting may be energizing Black Southern voters.
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Reposted by Drew Harwell
August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Yes, because it’s A GAMBLING APP, NOT A POLLING FIRM. THAT IS HOW GAMBLING WORKS. YOUR “ANALYSIS” HERE IS BASED ON PRETENDING THIS ISN’T JUST PEOPLE GAMBLING, JESUS CHRIST
Regardless of your view on who's favored, it's pretty clear Kalshi is not actually reading what those drops mean and are reacting to headline changes in raw vote totals. There's no need for this kind of oscillation
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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
McDonald's is low-key running its own Minority Report-style program, except to predict what kind of french fries you'll order next year. (For @thiccreese.bsky.social, who reported this insane story, it appears to be "The Grinch McShaker Fry Large.")
wired.com
McDonald’s Built a 515-Page Dossier on Me. It Says I’ll Never Stop Eating There
I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program and received an extensive, personalized report that algorithmically predicts my next purchase.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 12/08/2026
$900 million would cover a year of food assistance for 400,000 people wapo.st/4xe1GJT
wapo.st
Trump administration set to spend at least $900 million on White House construction
The price tag is much larger than what has been previously reported, according to a Post review of confidential contracts, and taxpayers would cover most of it.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 12/08/2026
Folks, we got another one "Goodson’s confession came after he received a text message saying the Washington Post had been in touch with his wife and was planning to write a story on his misuse of the Flock database" wfla.com/news/polk-co... Our investigation: washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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Meghan Hoyer @meghanhoyer.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
One chart shows the backlash to gutting the Voting Rights Act, by @ence.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
One chart shows the backlash to gutting the Voting Rights Act
Democratic turnout for House primaries in Shelby County, Tennessee, a majority-Black county, surged to the highest level in a decade.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 09/08/2026
When Trump’s second term began, there were thousands of pending civil-rights office investigations. In the 18 months since, the office has resolved three cases of racial harassment and zero for sexual harassment or violence www.washingtonpost.com/education/20... @laurameckler.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Inside school investigations frozen under Trump: Racial slurs, sexual harassment and more
The Education Department was in talks with dozens of districts at the end of the Biden administration. The cases have stalled since the president took office.
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Brian Barrett @brbarrett.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Life comes at you fast when you sell surveillance tech to cops. from @carolinehaskins.bsky.social
wired.com
Flock Highlighted Police Departments Using Its Tech. Now 4 Face Allegations of Misuse
Flock posted videos on its YouTube channel highlighting at least four police departments whose officers have faced allegations of misusing the company’s tech.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 06/08/2026
“Couldn’t have been him — we were out counting blades of grass" Helping “replace the roof on a homeless shelter" “playing halo 2” Giving their “doggie a treat” www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
Man charged with destroying Flock cameras found army of defenders on Facebook
Tens of thousands of commenters have jokingly defended the West Virginia man, offering up fake alibis.
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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
“The litigation has revealed a clear pattern: Uber’s lawyers scour women’s private communications, medical records, therapy notes …They grill the women about those issues, their sex lives and their behavior on the night of the incident.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/b...
nytimes.com
Uber’s Strategy for Fighting Sexual Assault Suits: ‘What Were You Wearing?’
The ride-hailing giant promised to handle legal claims “in a way that is best for the survivor.” Its lawyers are pursuing a far more aggressive strategy.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 03/08/2026
Great @nicoleeinbinder.bsky.social scoop here that raises all kinds of questions www.businessinsider.com/flock-camera...
businessinsider.com
Flock misread license plates in 71% of the alerts it sent to police in one California town
Flock sent 1,427 alerts to Roseville police over two years, flagging cars as stolen or used in a felony. In 71% of them, Flock read the plates wrong.
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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
NEW: ICE is collecting unprecedented quantities of DNA from detainees, including children. Those samples sit, indefinitely, in an FBI database built for criminal investigations. "People are very confused about why their DNA is being tested. I do not think they’re being told what the purpose is."
wired.com
ICE Collected Nearly 1 Million People’s DNA Last Year—Including Young Children
Internal documents show ICE's DNA collection has skyrocketed in the second Trump administration. Now hundreds of thousands of people never convicted of a crime are in an FBI criminal database forever.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 03/08/2026
. @josephcox.bsky.social talked with a former Flock government affairs manager who said the company lied about its pilot programs sharing data with federal agencies like ICE: www.404media.co/why-a-flock-...
404media.co
Why a Flock Worker Quit: ‘They Lied’
Jonathan Paz’s job was to convince cities to buy Flock cameras. After initially being enthusiastic about the company, he started to get disillusioned.
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Noam Scheiber @noamscheiber.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
More and more college grads are moving home after graduation. It reflects the combination of a lousy job market, high rent and the easing of a social stigma www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/b...
nytimes.com
More Young College Graduates Are Living At Home. Is That a Bad Thing? (Gift Article)
More young adults are living with their parents. The development suggests that they face a weak job market, but also that fewer face stigma in returning to the roost.
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Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 03/08/2026
I really don't think most Americans want this
apnews.com
Eastern Washington fires have burned 600 structures and forced the evacuation of 60,000 people
Authorities say wildfires in eastern Washington state forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area, including patients at its U.S.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 02/08/2026
New: We found 50 cops who misused Flock cameras and other license-plate readers for personal purposes, often to spy on their girlfriends or ex-wives. He "watched every single move I made. ... Who do you turn the chief of police in to?" wapo.st/3S6rTuo
wapo.st
She left her ex. He secretly tracked her through a network of policing cameras.
Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.
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