Police used Flock app to track man across state lines before searching his car for marijuana

Police in the state of Colorado reportedly used a coordinated “flock” operation to track a suspect across state lines, creating a pretext to search his vehicle for marijuana. According to the report, officers staged a group of civilians traveling together and then followed the suspect’s car as it crossed into neighboring Wyoming. Once the vehicle was stopped, the officers conducted a warrantless search that uncovered a small quantity of cannabis, leading to the suspect’s arrest and a pending drug charge.

The tactic has drawn scrutiny from civil‑rights advocates who argue that the operation violated the suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights by fabricating a scenario to justify the stop. The suspect’s attorney has filed a motion to suppress the evidence, citing the lack of probable cause and the deceptive nature of the police conduct. The state attorney general’s office has indicated it will review the incident for potential misconduct, while the police department has stated it was following established protocols for inter‑state investigations. The case highlights ongoing concerns about the legality of police “stalking” and pretextual searches in drug‑related investigations.