Automated license plate readers were sold as a sharp tool for solving serious crimes. Police departments pitched them as essential for catching thieves, recovering stolen cars and tracking dangerous suspects. Yet fresh evidence shows these cameras have quietly taken on roles far removed from that promise. They now help schools decide which families belong in which districts. They feed background checks for jobs. Officers tap them to investigate noise complaints. The shift happened without much public debate. No warrants required. No clear limits on what counts as legitimate use. The result is a system that records where people drive, when they leave home and where they spend their time. And schools, police and private vendors keep finding new reasons to query it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported this week on an analysis of millions of searches in Flock Safety’s network.…