3 Coweta sheriff's employees resign amid Flock review
FLOCK Camera
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - Three Coweta County Sheriff's Office employees have resigned after an internal audit flagged their use of the department's Flock Safety camera system, prompting the agency to request an independent investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
What we know:
According to the sheriff's office, routine auditing tools used to monitor employee access to law enforcement technology identified several accounts that required additional administrative review.
Department leaders met with three employees to discuss their use of the Flock Safety system. During those meetings, each employee chose to resign before the audit process was completed and before an internal investigation could begin.
GBI asked to investigate
What's next:
The sheriff's office said it has asked the GBI to conduct an independent investigation to ensure transparency and maintain public trust. The agency said all future questions regarding the investigation will be handled by the GBI.
Officials did not identify the former employees or specify what activity prompted the additional review.
Additional training planned
What they're saying:
The sheriff's office said employees are expected to use law enforcement technology lawfully, ethically and in accordance with agency policy.
In response to the audit, the agency said it is providing additional training to authorized users on proper system use, agency policy and employee accountability. Officials also said they will continue using auditing tools and review procedures to help ensure law enforcement technology is used only for legitimate public safety purposes.
Misuse cases reported nationwide
Dig deeper:
The resignations come as law enforcement agencies nationwide face increased scrutiny over the use of automated license plate reader systems.
A recent investigation by The Washington Post found at least 50 officers across the country have been charged or accused of improperly using the technology, including 46 cases involving Flock Safety.
Georgia is among at least eight states that make unauthorized use of license plate reader data a criminal offense, classifying it as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.
There have been multiple officers and deputies arrested and/or fired in the last few months in Georgia, including a deputy in Habersham county, a deputy in DeKalb County, 5 police officers in the Albany area, three Fayetteville officers, deputies in Cherokee County, and others.
RELATED STORIES
- Habersham County deputy fired, arrested for misuse of license plate data
- DeKalb deputy arrested for misuse of Flock tech
- 3 Fayetteville officers fired for misusing license plate system
- 5 Albany police officers arrested for misusing license plate readers
- Internal audit exposes Cherokee deputies misusing license plate readers
- Former Cherokee deputy arrested over unauthorized database search
Public concerned about Flock usage
Flock Safety's license plate reader system faces growing scrutiny nationwide. Privacy concerns and several high-profile cases involving the alleged misuse of the technology by law enforcement officers have fueled a backlash that has included acts of vandalism against Flock cameras in Georgia and across the country.
Law enforcement agencies have warned that intentionally damaging Flock cameras is a crime because they are government-owned public safety equipment.
RELATED STORIES
- Henry County Police search for man accused of vandalizing Flock cameras
- Two Flock Safety cameras damaged by fire near Albany
- Georgia Flock cameras spark widespread misuse fears
Flock says audit logs help identify misuse
The other side:
In response to several high-profile cases involving officers accused of misusing its license plate reader system, Flock Safety says accountability is built into the technology.
The company says every search is permanently logged and tied to an individual user, allowing agencies to review activity and investigate potential misconduct. Flock also points to its Audit Assistance feature, which can flag suspicious search patterns, and says more than 140,000 users across 6,000 agencies rely on the system each month for legitimate investigations.
While acknowledging that misuse can occur, the company says officers who abuse the system should be investigated and held accountable, arguing the technology is designed to make misconduct easier to detect rather than conceal.