# Driver wins $76 after fake traffic stop based on license plate data

> A Texas jury ruled that police used an AI-powered camera to flag a truck, then invented a traffic violation to justify an illegal search.
- Title: Driver wins $76 after fake traffic stop based on license…
- Summary: A Texas jury ruled that police used an AI-powered camera to flag a truck, then invented a traffic violation to justify an illegal search. Alek Schott won…
- Keywords: alek schott, bexar county, automated license plate readers, flock safety, texas, civil rights, police surveillance, warrantless search, technology, science, Driver, wins
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/10/driver-wins-76-after-alpr-led-to-bogus-traffic-stop-drug-searches
- Published: 2026-10-08T19:42:30+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: alek schott, bexar county, automated license plate readers, flock safety, texas, civil rights, police surveillance, warrantless search, technology, science
## Jury awards driver seventy six dollars
A federal jury in Texas ruled in favor of Alek Schott of Houston, who sued Bexar County and its sheriff over an unconstitutional traffic stop.
## Police pulled him over for lane drifting
In March twenty twenty-two, deputy Joel Babb pulled over Schott's pickup truck in Bexar County while Schott was driving home from Carrizo Springs.
## Real reason came from license plate data
The actual reason for the stop was a WhatsApp message from someone named Kiki, who worked with a federal fusion center in Laredo and had access to automated license plate reader data.
## Dashcam showed no lane drifting occurred
Footage from Schott's dashcam showed he never drifted lanes.Bodycam footage from the deputy showed Schott gave calm, mundane answers about a work trip.

> Footage from Alek's own dashcam shows he never drifted lanes.
## Truck searched for seventy six minutes
Schott was detained for seventy six minutes while his truck was thoroughly searched.Police found nothing, despite the drug dog's alert.
## AI camera flagged plate, police invented violation
Attorney Josh Windham said an AI-powered camera flagged Schott's plate, an anonymous law enforcement agent decided his ordinary trip looked suspicious, and a deputy went out and found a violation that never happened.

> This is what mass surveillance looks like when it reaches the shoulder of the highway.
## Lawsuit seeks to stop baseless traffic stops
The Institute for Justice will ask the court to enjoin Bexar County from using baseless traffic stops as a tool for warrantless searches and work to enforce the precedent across Texas.
## Key takeaway

Alek Schott won seventy six dollars from Bexar County after police pulled him over based on automated license plate reader data, then fabricated a lane-drifting violation to justify searching his truck.