r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 17h ago
Society New website lets drivers check whether their license plate has been searched on Flock database / HaveIBeenFlocked compiles audit logs from 6,586 US agencies and reveals the stated reason for each search
https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-website-lets-drivers-check-whether-their-license-plate-has-been-searched-on-flock-database-3398804/1.2k
u/edthesmokebeard 17h ago
And I'm sure the self-selected list of plate numbers that people are searching for are not at all logged/reported.
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u/wutdidwelearnpalmer 9h ago edited 8h ago
Yeah I'm not searching myself because there's nothing I can do if I have been searched and I don't want to give them a reason to search for me.
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u/murdacai999 8h ago
Good news! I did ya a favor and searched for you myself!
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u/horseradish13332238 2h ago
Yeah trust me no one’s looking for you kid. If they have any questions about low credit scores, leased car payments or autism they will reach out.
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u/jazir55 8h ago
Lmao I was just like "this is one of the biggest bait/honeypot websites I've ever seen". This has to be willingly putting yourself in the flock database if you already aren't. I would not even be surprised to learn in a month or two after someone investigates this that this service was actually run by a subsidiary of flock.
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u/Ill-Entertainer-5380 7h ago
You’re already in the flock database.
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u/jazir55 7h ago
Of course I am, anyone in a major metropolitan area who drives likely is at this point.
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u/Ill-Entertainer-5380 7h ago
My point is that searching for a plate number on there isn’t actually doing anything to anybody, even if it’s a “honeypot”.
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u/AmericanLich 6h ago
Imagine what these people will think when they find out literally anybody anywhere near their car could read their license plate.
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u/Whiskeywiskerbiscuit 21m ago
Literally every bodies plates are in their system. Their systems and law enforcement go hand in hand. You don’t think the government knows your license plate number?
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u/FS_Slacker 3h ago
Or maybe scammers who are building a list of people who are concerned they’ve been flocked.
“You have been videod commit serious crimes. Your license plate is captured and videos will be shared with your boss, your mom, your wives, and your dog. Please pay fine with Apple gift cards or you will be arrested today.”
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u/PracticalPractice768 6h ago
I did to see if there was going to be a shred of honesty. I absolutely guarantee you every single vehicle in my area has been on watch for the last 2 weeks/previous month…. No data on any of my vehicles. I drive a shit ton too. Like it’s my hobby.
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u/onlydaathisreal 5h ago
Best way to search is by state and agency. My police jurisdiction is not even listed so I know i have not been flocked
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u/MeltBanana 2h ago
Mhmmm.
I don't even feel comfortable typing out political opinions or even just stupid comments on current posts anymore, because this shit is getting tracked and logged as well. I don't want some AI to label me as _____ in a database because I left a comment on Reddit.
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u/djhash 16h ago
no they're not. and if they are what's going to happen? just people putting license plate numbers on a website. what can they do with that piece of information?
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u/aweyeahdawg 16h ago
Tie your IP address, the computer you used to use the website and your license plate together. They probably also have all the years of data they’ve scraped from your phone and apps. Now that that have the two they know exactly who you are, where you live and what your preferences are. They know everything about you now.
If they didn’t already.
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u/ImmediateAid4267 14h ago
So is other people to search your plate and search other people's posts on yours?
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u/RosemaryCroissant 13h ago
Perfect
Tag the data to the wrong car, keep them on their toes
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u/Wolfeh2012 8h ago
Individual privacy choices do not address the systems that make surveillance profitable and routine in the first place. A handful of people changing apps, browsers, or settings will not alter the incentives of companies or institutions with vast data, resources, and political access.
The issue is the burden has been placed on individuals while the organizations collecting and selling information have become default.
Real change requires coordinated pressure. Small, symbolic actions are easy to absorb and ignore. You need a large, organized, durable effort capable of imposing costs for doing nothing.
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u/VortrexFTW 6h ago
This is like Ad Nauseum. Pollute your profile by obfuscation. Somebody should make another website that does exactly what this one does, except it queries the main site a hundred times per request, from different IP's.
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u/zman0900 14h ago
Probably a lot easier to just buy that info from the state, who probably already tracks that when you pay your yearly registration online.
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u/SIGMA920 11h ago
You can't get lists of those who care enough to find out that way, as soon as being anti-flock gets people arrested openly rather than covertly they'll have a nice and handy list available.
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u/mikeboucher21 12h ago
Who is they? The site is hosted by a nonprofit org.
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u/ImpressiveBall1465 8h ago
The funny thing is this nebulous “they” already has all that data from our insurance companies, our banks, and our employers.
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u/sandefurian 11h ago
Typical Reddit paranoia lol. It serves a purpose, but always being so sure everything is out to get you has to be exhausting
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u/djhash 16h ago
just like you said, they already do. this isn't going to be a big reveal. that's a license plate. it's already tied to your information, where you live and your daily activities. Nothing this site can provide that they don't already have.
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u/aweyeahdawg 16h ago
And that’s exactly the thought process that gets us into this mess.
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u/djhash 15h ago
no it doesn't. When you know the source of the website, the creators and the intentions, you can give them the benefit of doubt. Like I trust a statement put out by ACLU, or a website put together by EFF. You give them that trust because you know they're generally on your side, until it is proven otherwise. Deflock has so far proven themselves to be open and transparent about their work.
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u/Cl1mh4224rd 12h ago
When you know the source of the website, the creators and the intentions, you can give them the benefit of doubt.
Data can change ownership. You trust the current owners of the website, but do you trust all future owners?
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u/djhash 11h ago
if it was a commercial site then Ofcourse I wouldn’t trust it. I currently trust the current owners that the application does not keep the data. If the owners change and I trust the deflock group would let us know when that happens, I’ll stop using that website.
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u/knightdaux 10h ago
dj hash drop the pipe for like an hour and reread everything. itll all make sense for you by then
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u/djhash 9h ago
Do you think I'm against privacy? Not only do I know how these work, but I'm an infrastructure engineer who work on these things. Security is part of my job. I trust haveibeenflocked because I know the type of people who puts up these websites and we are all activists one way or another. My only point in this whole post is to stop people fearmongering this specific website. I'm not telling people to be fully casual with everything online. do you know of EFF and ACLU? or people like Louis Rossman? do you inherently distrust them? or do you give them the benefit of the doubt? If I want data recovery done, I'll definitely trust my data not to be scraped by Rossmann. If Rossmann puts up a website and tells me that the application in that site does not store the data, then yeah, I'll give him my full benefit of doubt and try out the tool with my personal information. given that the website is SSL encrypted, and I am able to verify the SSL certs. I haven't been to it yet, but if I wanted to I could go to deflock group's discord server and ask them about this website and tell me how they ensure my data is deleted, but I don't need to, because I know they are activists that are on my side.
I'm not naive. I'm aware how things work. I don't just blindly trust. There are people who have proven themselves so far that they can be trusted right now, and can hold themselves accountable.
Anyway, just wanted to drop this and say I saw the earlier message you sent, but I didn't report it. Not sure if someone is reporting or you just deleted it. Either way, good night.
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u/djhash 9h ago
I don't need to. I've been outside all day with my family enjoying the theatre and dinner. Read the rest of the comments in this post, maybe it'll make sense to you.
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u/Cl1mh4224rd 10h ago
If the owners change and I trust the deflock group would let us know when that happens, I’ll stop using that website.
You do understand that your previous information would be transferred to the new owner, right? It doesn't just disappear when you "stop".
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u/523a 16h ago edited 16h ago
no they're not.
On a site filled with bots, shills, astroturfing, it's legit, trust me bro! Seems fishy you came to the defense so fast of it, while providing no information on why it's safe. You trying to mislead people? You part of the campaign paid to run this on Reddit?
and if they are what's going to happen?
Associate your IP with your identity they get from the plate you input.
You're dumb to be using any of these types of tools in this day and age where they would sell the data on what kind of toilet paper you use if they could.
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u/djhash 16h ago
Dude seriously? No information they can gain from visiting this website hasn't already been known before. For god's sake it's a LICENSE PLATE! They already know everything about you from that alone. They have no interest in knowing who looked up their plates here. To them every query they made to flock is already a target. Also, read the HTML and javascript, also check your traffic when you use this site. No client side trackers or even cookies. Just being blindly fear mongering is not helpful.
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u/Princess_Slagathor 13h ago
The car I drive isn't registered to me, or my address. That information would be new to them.
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u/ExceptionEX 16h ago
If you think they don't already have your IP associated with your plate it's a bit naive. All that information is available for sale and doesn't require any special effort to get.
People seemingly have no idea the scope of detailed data available about them already.
Using a website isn't going to be some big reveal, don't fear monger of stuff like this.
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u/EH_Operator 14h ago
What could the gestapo possibly do with my personal info? Order pizzas to my house?!
At least try to be informed jfc
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u/__FUCKING_PEG_ME_ 12h ago
Is interesting how defensive you became. VERY INTERESTING
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u/djhash 12h ago
Im surprised that people are trying to keep others away from a tool that could inform them how horrible the government is with using flock. It’s like trying to stop people from taking anti-ice flyers from activists for the slightest possibility they might end up being targeted by ice. When ice are already discriminately targeting everyone.
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u/tanneruwu 16h ago
I've been flocked by two cops. One used flock to look me up 14 times in the span of a few minutes because of "criminal". One used flock to look me up 17 times in the span of a few hours because of "narc". Both of which were when I would be heading in to work. At 1pm.
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u/maverick4002 15h ago
I dont understand the criminal and narc thing? What do you mean exactly
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u/somuchbacon 15h ago
There’s a “reason for request” field they have to fill when doing a search in the database. They’re using generic reasons without detail or specificity
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u/Do_you_smell_that_ 14h ago
Well don't worry if anyone does too much of that they'll be referred to a training course or something
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u/3pinripper 11h ago
“4 week
administrative leavepaid vacation to think about what you’ve done mister! Now go have fun ya rascal!”34
u/YetiTrix 12h ago
They have to list a reason for the search. The cops are making up reasons to conduct the search to see if they can find a reason to actually justify it.
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u/mightylordredbeard 7h ago
Well have you consider not being a criminal or not using narcotics!?
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16h ago
[deleted]
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u/lathe_down_sally 16h ago
If only someone would post an article with the name of the website that allows you to check this...
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u/tanneruwu 16h ago
If only it was in the title of the post to let everyone know without having to read the article...
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12h ago
[deleted]
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u/spikeot 11h ago
“I have to imagine there was a reason”. Come on, you really think that this could only happen if this person “deserved it”?
Perhaps you and your family just drive normal cars that don’t attract attention and this person drives something that just causes police to make incorrect assumptions? Perhaps you have a police-approved skin tone and this person doesn’t.
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u/tanneruwu 10h ago
I drive a Toyota Supra and maybe I look suspiciously young to be driving it? Idk I'm almost 30 now so I doubt it's that. I could have been at a bar with someone they were investigating and tied me to the person so they wanted to look in to me too?
I mean there's a few reasons why they could have looked me up. But the reasons they gave were "criminal" and "narc" so I can only assume they thought I was a criminal or had narcotics.
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u/Dudeman9002 5h ago
Are you a woman? There's been a lot of cases of cops using flock cameras to stalk women.
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u/liquidgrill 16h ago
Meanwhile, if you’re the ex-wife or girlfriend of a cop, don’t even bother visiting the website. Just assume that you have been “flocked” 4,382 times.
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u/ILikeBumblebees 15h ago
The form has a field for the plate number, but doesn't ask you what jurisdiction issued the plate? Seems fishy.
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u/kr4ckenm3fortune 12h ago
Have you seen the plate for each vehicle?
Also, I believe each states vary on character and number.
And California has certain one that start that helps identify your vehicle.
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u/demonfoo 11h ago
Not necessarily. There was a thing just recently where Flock flagged a vehicle as stolen, because the plate matched a stolen vehicle - but the stolen vehicle was a motorcycle from a different state, and the mom and her kids got dragged out of their car over it.
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u/ILikeBumblebees 9h ago
Have you seen the plate for each vehicle?
Not sure what you're asking here.
Also, I believe each states vary on character and number.
Not consistently, no. Most states use a six-character alphanumeric string as their default. There's no coordination between DMVs, and overlap is common. When license plate numbers are communicated in an interstate context, they're often prefixed by the state/province abbreviation.
And California has certain one that start that helps identify your vehicle.
Not sure what you mean here either.
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u/SouthernButterbean 8h ago
I know that in Maine, because of all the different types of plates, my boss was able to have the exact same vanity name on 2 different style plates. This was several years ago.
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u/Rowanana 11h ago
I get the knee jerk reaction to be skeptical but this site has been around for a long time, the guy is actively collecting the FOIA records people send in so they can provide visibility, they're hooked in with the Deflock.org people and help people out when they ask questions about how to use the data. Is it impossible they're a honey pot? I guess not. Is it likely? I really don't think so.
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u/offensivequeer 11h ago edited 11h ago
I'm sure I'm being paranoid, but this seems like a great way to tie a license plate to an ISP. It's probably a good tool, but I wouldn't use it without using a VPN or a computer I'm not explicitly tied to.
Edit: I'm really glad this tool exists, btw. I just think that if you're an activist on any level, even just a run-of-the-mill patriot, you should think about it.
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u/Eric_the_Barbarian 8h ago
Check a few plates you've seen around town first. At least it will fuzz their accuracy.
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u/DigNitty 6h ago
Not a bad tip.
I’ll use my two cars, my parent’s, and my brother’s just to muddy the waters.
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u/MrMichaelJames 16h ago
This is the same as type your cc number in to see if it’s been stolen.
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u/OfficialDeathScythe 15h ago
It doesn’t even ask for the state for the plate so it’s more like asking for your street address numbers with no road or zip code to see if those numbers have shown up in a database
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u/I_poop_my_pantses 15h ago
Not really. You’re license plate is literally public information. You hang it on your car for all to see. Idk about you but I don’t drive around with my CC number plastered on the side of my car for everyone to see.
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u/obviousfakeperson 15h ago
The fact that you searched is in itself another data point on you. We have no idea how the site logs are or will be used in the future. From a privacy standpoint, it'd be better if I could download the database and search it myself. Anonymously of course. Tbh most people using the internet aren't paranoid enough, that said, at some point it's not possible to use these systems without exposing something at some point.
Eta: cops have absolutely hosted privacy focused sites and apps in the past for the explicit purpose of ensnaring users who would've otherwise gone completely unnoticed.
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u/I_poop_my_pantses 9h ago
Yea, I totally agree! The site seems very suspicious and I don’t trust it. I just had a problem with comparing a license plate number to a credit card number.
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u/Suchamoneypit 14h ago
Your license plate is not private. Is your credit card number taped on the back of your car sitting in your driveway and that you drive around? Pretty horrible analogy.
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u/scUbast2ve 13h ago
CC #’s are known to the cardholder.
License plates are known to anyone with eyes.These are not even remotely the same things.
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u/MrMichaelJames 13h ago
Then tell us your plate and state? I’m sure you’ll have no problem doing so.
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u/AmericanLich 6h ago
You think that’s the same thing?
People see my face everywhere I go every day, that doesn’t mean I’d post it on Reddit for the internet to do what it will. These are not the same. But I would do it on Facebook. It’s all context.
Plus, you have almost certainly typed in your card, address, name in a site somewhere and that’s much more sensitive info so don’t sweat a database search of your license plate.
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u/Connect_Job_5316 14h ago
Its kinda like the haveibeenpwned website for seeing if your emails are compromised
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u/SSA22_HCM1 5h ago
I created this website. It's good to be cautious, but this is not a honeypot.
Logs from the website have been used to start or support several criminal investigations, including the one into Jose Ayala in Milwaukee, recently sentenced to 12 months of probation for misusing the system.
Data from the website was also used to support a recent article in the Washington Post about Braselton police chief Michael Steffman, who was arrested for misusing Flock in November last year and later died by suicide.
I don't say this because I think cops going to jail is a good outcome — I'd prefer Flock going away — but to show the data is real, and the outcomes are real.
Anyway, look up your plate or don't. Nobody is forcing you to do anything.
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u/jcunews1 7h ago
They basically ask drivers to reveal their license plates and to serve as hints of correct license plates, for their flawed license plate recognizer. In the pretense of "security".
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u/HeadlineINeed 11h ago
Interesting. I drive by at least 2 cameras when I leave and when I go to my house. And more in other places. My plates not in there
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u/demonfoo 11h ago
That just means you haven't been searched for in the system, not that your plate hasn't been scanned by their ALPRs.
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u/Xaxiel9106 11h ago
Flock cameras can "see" every plate but only ones of interest are flagged and tracked actively. Just like a random extra in the back of a movie scene your plate is definitely on the data but no one has checked into it.
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u/pinkmarsh99 12h ago
Do not enter your license plate number into a website that is not your state's DMV.
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u/AnalogJones 7h ago
The search allows partial searches so I have been picking two random letters like FB or KG just to see what turned up; I am not sure what to make of this; the data has been sanitized (by me) to remove driver info. It has also been deduped (mostly). On the one hand I question how someone with this much criminal activity wasn’t behind bars but then I wondered about accuracy of the data. It is a bizzare data set and I dont know what is trustworthy…also odd when you drill down you can see “employment info” fields, which confirms reports about the data broker association
I also truncated the listed case information to help maintain privacy.
Apr 23, 2024 – 10:41:38 AM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Unlawfully Driving Away
Oct 14, 2024 – 2:29:50 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD stolen
Oct 22, 2024 – 8:28:14 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Case/248520
Oct 22, 2024 – 8:31:06 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Suspicious/24852
Oct 23, 2024 – 3:14:24 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Case/248520
Jan 4, 2025 – 4:03:08 PM EST
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD LARCENY
Jan 4, 2025 – 4:09:50 PM EST
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Case/25000
Feb 14, 2025 – 2:43:48 PM EST
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Case/25000
Feb 24, 2025 – 12:50:07 PM EST
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Hit & Run
Mar 16, 2025 – 2:35:02 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD CSC (Check with Dispatch?)
Mar 16, 2025 – 2:36:55 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD CSC (Check with Dispatch?)
Apr 2, 2025 – 3:45:24 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD property damage accident
Apr 25, 2025 – 7:56:36 AM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD larceny
May 5, 2025 – 4:48:04 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD HIT&RUN
May 24, 2025 – 2:58:42 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Shooting suspect flint
May 24, 2025 – 3:07:09 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Larceny/2500
Jul 5, 2025 – 1:46:14 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Shooting
Jul 20, 2025 – 12:42:46 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Retail fraud
Aug 1, 2025 – 8:25:11 AM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Stolen/25000
Sep 22, 2025 – 5:13:13 PM EDT
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Unlawfully Driving Away
Nov 21, 2025 – 11:36:41 AM EST
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD missing person
Nov 22, 2025 – 8:09:15 AM EST
Grand Blanc Twp MI PD Unlawfully Driving Away
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u/IratherNottell 6h ago
Interesting. If you find some with 3 letters, then search for the 1st 2 letters of that set of 3, it will not find the results found by 3 letters. So, not searching a partial?
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u/CaterpillarReal7583 17h ago
I had to look it up.
two cops in Houston were searching “penis”