A Colorado grandmother is repeatedly pulled over because a suspect’s plate was entered with O/0 confusion in a Flock Safety database, flagging her correct plate as stolen.
Key Takeaways
Flock Safety ALPR cameras work correctly; the error is upstream in manual database entry, where a zero was recorded as the letter O (or vice versa).
Multiple Colorado drivers came forward after a Cherry Hills segment aired, suggesting O/0 database errors are systemic, not isolated.
No streamlined dispute or removal process exists; affected drivers have resorted to contacting TV news to force corrections.
Burden of remediation falls entirely on the innocent driver, a design failure distinct from the data entry failure.
Recommended steps: request the specific database alert in writing from the pulling agency, submit formal written correction requests, and escalate to civil rights counsel if stops continue.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters quickly noted the headline misattributes the error to the cameras; the article itself clarifies the camera reads plates correctly and the fault is in the database entry.
A practical systemic fix raised: states should not issue license plates that use both 0 and O as distinct characters, eliminating the ambiguity at the source.
Commenters observed that even visually distinct O/0 fonts (squared O vs. rounded zero) are insufficient to prevent human data-entry confusion.
Notable Comments
@crooked-v: “Flock delenda est, but why are any states even using both 0 and O in license plates in the first place?”
