Reported cases of abuse

2013

JAN 2013

The early landmark: an officer's blackmail scheme using plate data

One of the first documented abuses of automated license plate readers: an officer used plate data to find and blackmail drivers, a case the EFF cites in its surveillance self-defense guide.

2021

SEP 2021

Westmoreland County officer pleaded guilty to stalking

Michael McSherry, a former Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania officer, pleaded guilty to stalking after using license plate readers to track his wife and family.

2022

JAN 2022

Fort Bend County lieutenant tracked multiple people

A Fort Bend County, Texas lieutenant was investigated and removed after using license plate readers to track multiple people, an early documented case in the Houston area.

OCT 2022

Kechi officer charged after tracking his wife

Victor Heiar, a Kechi, Kansas officer, was charged after allegedly using license plate readers to track his wife, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

2023

JUN 2023

Costa Mesa officer pleaded guilty after tracking a partner

Robert Josett, a Costa Mesa, California officer, pleaded guilty after an investigation found he used Flock to track a romantic partner.

OCT 2023

Sedgwick police chief resigned after 200 plate lookups

Lee Nygaard, police chief of Sedgwick, Kansas, resigned after it was found he looked up his ex-girlfriend's license plate more than 200 times, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

2024

APR 2024

Coffee County deputy arrested for Flock misuse

Chris Rozar, a Coffee County, Georgia deputy, was arrested and charged after misusing the Flock license plate reader system, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

JUN 2024

Orange City officer arrested for stalking girlfriend

Jarmarus Brown, an Orange City, Florida officer, was arrested and accused of stalking his girlfriend using the Flock system more than 100 times.

JUN 2024

Stow officer accused of Flock misuse, town cuts ties

Stow, Massachusetts placed Officer Jason Rogers on unpaid leave facing termination and criminal charges after he allegedly ran vehicle information through Flock and a criminal records database, and the town removed its Flock cameras.

JUN 2024

Riverside County deputy sentenced for stalking former fiancee

Alexander Vanny, a former Riverside County, California sheriffs deputy, was sentenced after stalking his former fiancee with license plate readers and harassing a volunteer at her church.

JUL 2024

Braselton police chief accused of 600 plate lookups

Michael Steffman, police chief of Braselton, Georgia, was arrested after he was accused of tracking his ex-girlfriend's license plate about 600 times using Flock cameras.

AUG 2024

Shelby County deputy removed after tracking ex-wife

Thadius Gordon, a Shelby County, Tennessee deputy, was removed from duty after he was accused of using license plate readers to track his ex-wife.

SEP 2024

Haines City officer tracked his estranged wife 717 times

Christopher Goodson, an officer in Haines City, Florida, looked up his estranged wifes license plate in the Flock database 717 times between September 2024 and June 2026, and was arrested on computer and official misconduct charges.

DEC 2024

Matteson officer charged after tracking an ex

Jaila Cole-Clark, a Matteson, Illinois officer, was charged after allegedly using license plate readers to track an ex-partner, per the running record of reported plate camera misuse.

2025

MAR 2025

Milwaukee officer charged after Flock database misuse

Josue Ayala, a former Milwaukee police officer, was charged with misconduct after allegedly using the Flock database to track someone he had dated. He later pleaded guilty.

MAR 2025

Louisville officer jailed over stalking accusations

Roberto Cedeno, a former Louisville, Kentucky officer, was accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend with license plate readers and remained jailed while the case proceeded.

MAY 2025

Greer officer fired in separate Flock misuse case

Sebastian Echeverry, a Greer, South Carolina officer, was fired after an investigation into misuse of license plate readers, a separate case from a second Greer officer fired the same year.

JUN 2025

Richmond County deputy arrested for tracking a woman

Jaquarius Yarbrough, a former Richmond County, Georgia deputy, was arrested after allegedly using Flock cameras to track a woman.

JUL 2025

Winnebago County deputy charged after Flock misuse

Tyler Bryan, a former Winnebago County, Illinois sheriffs deputy, was charged after allegedly misusing the license plate reader system, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

JUL 2025

Jerome County sheriff investigated after Flock searches of his wife

Sheriff George Oppedyk of Jerome County, Idaho faced an investigation after it was reported he used Flock cameras to search for his wife. The attorney general later found no crime, but the searches drew scrutiny of sheriffs access.

SEP 2025

Holiday Hills chief arrested for misuse of police databases

William C. Copp, the Holiday Hills, Illinois police chief, was arrested on a search warrant and other charges after an investigation into misuse of police databases, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

SEP 2025

Kenosha County deputy resigned after tracking a coworker

Frank McGrath, a Kenosha County, Wisconsin sheriffs deputy, resigned after an investigation found he used Flock to track a coworker he had a romantic relationship with, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

OCT 2025

Katy officer fired and charged after more than 2,300 Flock lookups

Sergio Rodriguez, a Katy, Texas officer, was fired and charged after sources said he used Flock cameras to look up an ex-partner more than 2,300 times.

OCT 2025

Menasha officer sentenced for seven off-duty Flock searches

Cristian Morales, a 32-year-old Menasha, Wisconsin officer, was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of probation after pleading no contest. His seven off-duty searches reached up to 92,000 cameras across the Flock network to track his ex-girlfriend.

OCT 2025

Niceville officer charged after Flock misuse

Coty Hall, a Niceville, Florida officer, was charged after an investigation into his use of the Flock system, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

NOV 2025

Bonner Springs detective fired after stalking wife with police tools

Kyle Rector, a Bonner Springs, Kansas detective, was fired after court records showed he used police tools, including license plate readers, to stalk his wife, and was later charged with related crimes.

NOV 2025

From crime tool to immigration surveillance: function creep

Documentation of Flock camera networks expanding from local crime response into federal immigration enforcement, showing how a system built for one purpose drifts into others.

DEC 2025

Greer officer fired after Flock misuse

Kareem Lynch, a Greer, South Carolina officer, was fired after an investigation found he used the license plate reader system improperly.

2026

JAN 2026

Reynoldsburg officer resigned amid Flock misuse probe

Mark Nichols, a Reynoldsburg, Ohio officer, resigned after an internal audit found he misused the Flock camera system.

FEB 2026

Monroe County deputy arrested for tracking a woman from a movie set

Lamar Roman, a Monroe County, Florida deputies deputy, was arrested after allegedly using law enforcement databases to track and pull over a woman he met while working a movie set security detail.

MAR 2026

Mauldin officer fired after Flock misuse investigation

Ellie Hammond, a Mauldin, South Carolina officer, was fired after an investigation into misuse of the Flock system, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

APR 2026

Alpharetta officer investigated for tracking an ex with Flock

Dustin Bozzo, an Alpharetta, Georgia officer, was investigated for allegedly using Flock cameras to track an ex-partner, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

APR 2026

Gwinnett County officer charged with stalking via police databases

Renee Downer, a former Gwinnett County, Georgia officer, was charged with stalking after allegedly using police databases to track a person, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

APR 2026

Conyers crime center supervisor arrested for Flock misuse

Paige Forte, a crime center supervisor with the Conyers, Georgia police department, was arrested by the GBI for misusing license plate reader data to track a domestic partner.

MAY 2026

Pasadena officer resigned amid Flock misuse investigation

Michael Palitz, a Pasadena, Texas officer, resigned after an investigation found he misused the Flock license plate reader network.

JUN 2026

Former DA investigator charged after 60-plus Flock lookups

Andrae Wright, a former chief investigator for the Ogeechee Circuit district attorneys office in Statesboro, Georgia, was arrested by the GBI after illegally accessing the Flock camera system more than 60 times.

JUL 2026

Albany police: five former officers fired and arrested

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested five former Albany Police Department officers for misusing access to the city's Flock cameras on multiple occasions.

JUL 2026

Sumter County detective fired after tracking husband's ex-wife

Brandy Almany, a Sumter County, Florida detective, was fired and arrested after using police cameras to track her husband's ex-wife, the sheriffs office said.

JUL 2026

Habersham County deputy fired and arrested for Flock misuse

Christian Brewer, a Habersham County, Georgia deputy, was fired and arrested after an audit found he used Flock license plate reader data for personal purposes.

JUL 2026

At least 20 Georgia officials arrested in Flock misuse wave

A statewide wave in Georgia has led to at least 20 arrests of police and sheriffs officials for misusing Flock license plate reader access, one of the largest clusters of enforcement anywhere.

AUG 2026

At least 50 officers nationwide accused of Flock misuse

Media reviews counted at least 50 officers nationwide accused of misusing Flock Safety cameras, spanning stalking, personal lookups, and other unauthorized uses.

AUG 2026

Polk County task force officer facing four charges

A former Polk County, Georgia officer who worked with the Northwest Georgia drug task force faced four charges after an audit of Flock access, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

AUG 2026

Chandler officer resigned after Flock misuse, four agencies investigating

A Chandler, Arizona officer resigned after admitting he used the Flock system to find a family member with health issues. Four metro Phoenix police agencies opened investigations into related misuse.

AUG 2026

Indianapolis chief recommends firing officer over plate reader misuse

An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer faced criminal charges and a recommended firing after allegedly misusing license plate readers.

AUG 2026

North Carolina officer tracked a boyfriends ex-wife 31 times

A North Carolina officer was arrested after an investigation found she used the Flock system more than 30 times to track a boyfriends ex-wife, one of the cases that triggered a national review of plate reader misuse.

AUG 2026

Apache Junction officer resigned over Flock misuse findings

Joshua McDaniels, an Apache Junction, Arizona officer, resigned at the conclusion of an investigation that found he improperly used Flock to look up a person he knew.

AUG 2026

Brentwood officer accused of stalking his ex-wife with plate readers

A Brentwood, Missouri officer was accused of using the license plate reader system to track his ex-wife, prompting an investigation and internal review of access to the camera network.

AUG 2026

Former Bibb County deputy Coznavian Stubbs charged with stalking

Coznavian Stubbs, a former Bibb County deputy, was charged after investigators say he used license plate readers to track people he knew, one of three deputies arrested in the same Georgia investigation.

AUG 2026

Former Bibb County deputy Joseph Callaway charged with stalking

Joseph Callaway, a former Bibb County deputy, was charged with stalking after allegedly misusing license plate reader access to track a person he knew, per the Institute for Justice database of ALPR abuse.

AUG 2026

New Bedford officer placed on leave after stalking allegations

Emily Pacheco, a New Bedford, Massachusetts officer, was placed on leave while an investigation opened after her ex-girlfriend filed for an abuse prevention order citing misuse of the Flock camera system.

AUG 2026

Brevard County deputy resigned after tracking a woman 60 times

Michael Fultz, Brevard County Sheriff Office deputy of the year, resigned after an internal probe found he ran a woman's plates through the license plate reader system more than 60 times and visited her workplace.

AUG 2026

Former Bibb County deputy Tony Lewis charged with stalking

Tony Lewis, one of three former Bibb County deputies arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, was charged with stalking and other crimes after allegedly using the Flock system to track someone he was in a relationship with.

AUG 2026

Jefferson Parish deputy fired after thousands of Flock searches

Nathan Rome, a Jefferson Parish, Louisiana deputy, was fired after admitting he searched for his ex-fiancee's vehicle in the Flock system thousands of times, Sheriff Joe Lopinto announced.

AUG 2026

Deer Park officer suspended after 165 personal plate runs

A Deer Park, Texas officer was suspended for 10 days after an internal audit found he ran license plates 165 times for personal use. The department added new safeguards and a transparency portal.

AUG 2026

Washington Post: departments missed misuse until an audit tool found it

The Washington Post used Flock's Audit Assistance tool to identify officers who misused the camera network without their departments knowing. Savannah police said several of the identified employees had already been fired.

AUG 2026

Lufkin officer arrested; grand jury later returned 100 felony counts

Zachary Anthony Klein, an 11-year Lufkin, Texas police veteran, was arrested by the Texas Rangers on charges of abuse of official capacity and tampering with a government record. A grand jury later returned an indictment with 100 felony counts.

AUG 2026

Savannah police: four former employees arrested for Flock misuse

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested four former Savannah Police employees: officers Marquis Dillard, Donald Phillips, and Matthew Rich, plus civilian community service specialist Calandic Thomas, on charges related to misusing the license plate reader system.