More Georgia officers arrested for Flock camera misuse, officials say

Several more law enforcement officers have been arrested and charged with misusing license plate reader systems this week, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and local officials.

Departments across Georgia are conducting audits of the Flock camera system’s use after the company recently introduced an “audit assistance tool,” which a spokesperson said identifies search patterns that fall outside an agency’s normal usage, the AJC previously reported.

Since the audit tool was introduced, multiple departments have announced arrests of officers across the state, signaling a level of misuse that may have previously gone undetected.

Meanwhile, the Barrow County Sheriff said he is investigating suspected vandalism of the cameras — a felony.

Public distrust over the use of the cameras and privacy concerns have risen in recent months.

The GBI arrested five Albany police officers this week, all of whom have since been fired from the department, for allegedly misusing license plate data and violating their oath of office, the GBI said in a news release.

The officers were charged with varying counts of misusing the system, ranging from one to 11, after the Albany Police Department conducted an audit of the Flock license plate reader camera system and subsequently requested the GBI investigate, the GBI said in a news release.

“This internal audit revealed that the officers previously accessed the Flock system on multiple occasions and utilized the retained license plate data for non-law enforcement purposes,” the GBI said.

The officers arrested include Tytianna Davis, Jade Jackson, Nicholas Richardson, Brittney Smith and Issac Whitus, all of whom were booked into the Dougherty County jail Monday, the GBI said.

The AJC has reached out to the Albany police department and department officials about the arrests.

LPRs are cameras typically placed along roadways and log the movements of millions of vehicles into a database law enforcement can search. The data collected helps solve and deter crime, officials say, and is frequently used to track wanted suspects or stolen vehicles, but state law restricts its use.

In a news release Wednesday, Flock leaders said the technology’s built-in audit software is “designed with safeguards that enable agencies to detect, investigate, and document improper use.”

“Technology doesn’t create misconduct. People do,” Paige Todd, the company’s co-founder, said in the news release. “The question isn’t whether someone will attempt to misuse technology. The question is whether the technology is designed to expose that misuse and help agencies hold bad actors accountable.”