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More Police Officers Fired, Investigated, or Arrested for Misusing Flock Camera Systems
In Georgia, the Savannah Police Department fired four officers and two civilian employees due to misuse of their Flock Safety License Plate Reader system. These six cases are also under criminal investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Investigators discovered employees were searching for personal acquaintances and family members. One officer improperly granted outside law enforcement access to the system.Separately, a North Carolina police officer was arrested for allegedly using the Flock system to track her boyfriend's ex-wife. She is accused of accessing the system for personal use 31 times, including while off-duty. Her department is investigating ten other potential misuse cases. An Ohio police officer resigned while under investigation for repeatedly searching a vehicle belonging to his likely domestic partner using the Flock system.An Iowa county's policy instructs police not to inform vehicle occupants about ALPR usage during traffic stops. The policy also advises officers to avoid mentioning ALPR technology in reports unless absolutely necessary, suggesting they refer to the cameras as "county resources." This move aims to obscure Flock usage from public records requests. Similar directives have been issued in multiple states, with warnings shared by the FBI and Department of Justice. The Iowa Sheriff stated that disclosing investigative methods like Flock usage is unnecessary and could help criminals circumvent them.