The cops said they had been tracking the car for days. So just once they should have looked at the license plate, and seen the full 7-digit number, which does not match the 5-digit number reported as stolen.

Instead they just blindly trusted Flock's identification of the vehicle.

The problem with giving a free pass to the lazy and incompetent cops who didn't do the least bit of due diligence before surrounding a couple with 4 cop cars in a manner that could have resulted in death, is that you can apply such flimsy excuses to everyone in the chain, and end up excusing everyone, because each link is only partly responsible.

Yes, I'd also blame the city for deploying constant warrantless surveillance.

Yes, I'd also blame Flock.

Yes, I'd also blame the Sergeants who set officer incentives and don't punish lazy cops, and prosecutors and judges who rarely hold police accountable.

But also blame the 4+ lazy and incompetent police officers, not one of whom bothered to double-check the pictures against the report and say, hey, this license plate has 7 digits...