A former Costa Mesa police officer has admitted to using privileged police technology as his own private tracking system, stalking a woman he was having an extramarital relationship with while bombarding her with thousands of calls and messages over several months, according to prosecutors.
Robert Jay Josett, 35, pleaded guilty this week to three misdemeanor counts, including unauthorized computer access and fraud, annoying and repeated phone calls, and contempt of court for violating a restraining order. He was sentenced to three years of informal probation and ordered to complete a 52-week domestic-violence program, Los Angeles Times reported. Prosecutors also noted that Josett had already spent nine months on a court-ordered GPS ankle monitor following his arrest.
How Investigators Say He Tracked Her
According to prosecutors, Josett ran unauthorized searches on the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System and tapped into the Costa Mesa Police Department’s Flock automated license-plate readers to track vehicles linked to the woman and her romantic partners. The database queries occurred between June and December 2023, and he continued accessing automated license-plate reader data even after he had been placed on administrative leave, CBS Los Angeles reported.
The Harassment Prosecutors Describe
Prosecutors say the digital surveillance was paired with relentless harassment. Over roughly nine months, Josett allegedly contacted the woman thousands of times, at points calling or messaging her more than 100 times in a single day, and phoning her and a new boyfriend as many as 58 times in one day, according to the Los Angeles Times. He also threatened to post explicit photos of her, repeatedly drove past her home even after she secured a protective order, and was ultimately arrested after allegedly violating that order on June 28, 2024.
Oversight And The Next Steps
The Orange County District Attorney’s office has reported Josett’s conduct to the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, which is reviewing whether he should keep his certification, according to MyNewsLA. A special-prosecutions deputy handled the case, and prosecutors have pointed to it as a cautionary tale about what can happen when officers abuse access to powerful surveillance tools without tight oversight and regular audits.
Why Technology Oversight Matters
Automated license-plate readers and statewide law-enforcement databases have been at the center of policy fights across California, with privacy advocates warning about unchecked data sharing and misuse by those with logins. In response, some agencies have begun tightening internal controls and rethinking contracts with vendors such as Flock Safety, recent reporting by KQED and CalMatters shows, underscoring how the Josett case plugs into a much wider debate.
“No one should have to live in fear of being tracked through law enforcement databases by someone with a badge and a gun because they decided to call off a romantic relationship,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement, as reported by CBS Los Angeles. The DA’s office said the prosecution was meant to send a clear signal that officers who misuse their access to policing tools will face consequences.
