Cop uses license plate to find woman's number and asks her out: 'What he is doing is 100% illegal'

Interactions with law enforcement are typically professional, but for one woman, a routine encounter with a police officer turned uncomfortable. This incident began when a police officer pulled her over because one of her tires was low. After this encounter, she received an unsolicited text message from the officer who accessed her private information without her consent. The woman, u/CertainMine5631, shared her experience on Reddit.

She recalled the story and explained that she expressed her gratitude, responding to the police officer with a simple reply: "Omg, I didn’t know, thank you!" and assumed the interaction had ended there. However, a few hours later, she received a text from an unknown number. Curious and cautious, she replied, “Hey. I’m sorry I don’t recognize the number. Who is this?” The response immediately raised red flags. The unknown number introduced himself as “the officer who pulled up next to you to tell you that you had a low tire yesterday.” Understandably confused, the woman asked, “Oh. Okay. I mean, thanks again for that, but how did you get my phone number? Lol.” His response left her stunned. 

The officer admitted he used her license plate information to obtain her phone number, adding that he thought she was “very nice and attractive.” He further explained that he wanted to get to know her better and suggested going out for dinner. To reassure her—though his words had the opposite effect—he added, “I promise I don’t do this often, haha. You are just very nice and attractive—of course.” The woman, clearly uncomfortable, kept her response polite yet firm, replying, “Wow. I appreciate the compliment. Thank you.” People on Reddit expressed outrage over the officer’s actions, highlighting the abuse of power and breach of privacy involved in this situation.

u/elpea1725 commented, “If he’s this creepy and willing to break every rule to contact you, I say he’s dangerous. He has your address as well. Don’t mean to scare you.” u/According_Sun6789 added, “'I promise I don’t do this often' means he does this often.” u/Commander-Rial, a former cop also shared his opinion on the situation, "What that officer is doing is 100% illegal, unethical and almost definitely against department policy! Notify the department and have him fired immediately! He absolutely should not be allowed access to people’s personal information..." Several other users also encouraged the woman should report the matter. 

u/anneofred said, “Let’s be real, go higher than the department. Blue line, brothers, buddies can be ignored and then harassed by other cop buddies." u/TeaIQueen said, "I know someone who was fired for doing this to women at an airport. This is insanely creepy and disgusting behavior, but I don’t know how comfortable I’d feel reporting it just because of his position. First, I think you should change your number, then report it." u/Queasy_Recover5164 agreed, "Using a phone number obtained via license plate scan for personal reasons is an ethical breach and, in some states, is illegal. In the text, they also seem to indicate that they have done this before. Please contact Internal Affairs or a local attorney. This isn't a cop you want on the streets."