Driver wins $76 after ALPR led to bogus traffic stop, drug searches
Summary
A Texas jury awarded Alek Schott $76 after he sued Bexar County and its sheriff for an unjust traffic stop based on automated license plate reader (ALPR) data. Schott was stopped and searched for over an hour, but no illegal activity was found, and the stated reason for the stop was later admitted as false.Key Facts
- Alek Schott was stopped by police in Bexar County, Texas, after a tip from a law enforcement WhatsApp group based on ALPR data.
- The official reason for the stop was “lane drifting,” but the deputy admitted this was not true.
- Police suspected Schott of smuggling because of a short trip pattern flagged by the ALPR system.
- Schott was detained for 76 minutes while officers conducted a search that found no evidence of illegal activity.
- The drug detection dog indicated the truck had drugs, but the dog’s handler was seen signaling the dog, raising doubts about the alert.
- Schott sued Bexar County claiming the stop was unconstitutional and won a symbolic $76 award, one dollar for each minute detained.
- The Institute for Justice helped Schott and plans to push for limits on using traffic stops as a way to conduct warrantless searches.
- The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office did not comment on the case but promotes its use of surveillance cameras.
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