A Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera (FOX 5 Atlanta).
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A Hall County Sheriff's Office deputy resigned Friday following an internal investigation into unauthorized license plate searches using the agency's Flock Safety system.
Brandon Sanders submitted his resignation Friday after Internal Affairs investigators found he used the Flock system while off duty to run license plate searches not authorized by the agency.
Couch stated the agency uncovered seven total policy violations during a broad audit, terminating three employees and accepting four resignations.
Hall County Flock audit
What we know:
The Internal Affairs Unit finished auditing the agency's Flock system on Sept. 4 after reviewing 758 searches and flagging 85 as suspicious. Sanders, who had been with the agency since Dec. 2021, conducted multiple unauthorized plate searches while off duty.
The sheriff's office referred Sanders and the other six former employees to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation or the Hall County Solicitor for potential criminal charges.
All seven cases were also submitted to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which could revoke their officer certifications.
Hall County Sheriff's Office woes
Timeline:
The Hall County Sheriff's Office has come under recent scrutiny over the last year, not only for accusations against deputies misusing the Flock camera system. Here's a look at some of the recent troubles:
- Dec. 2025: Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch temporarily steps away from his duties, citing an unspecified health condition, before later returning to work.
- Feb. 26, 2026: Court records show Couch is evaluated at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville and diagnosed with alcohol intoxication, with blood tests indicating a potentially fatal alcohol concentration level.
- Feb. 27, 2026: Couch is arrested by the Georgia State Patrol after a Hall County deputy spots his county-issued Chevrolet Tahoe weaving erratically on Green Hill Road. Couch is booked into his own jail on charges of DUI, failure to maintain a lane, and possession of an open container before posting bond.
- March 17, 2026: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp officially suspends Couch from office following an investigation by a state-appointed committee.
- May 5, 2026: While on suspension, Couch is arrested again in neighboring Dawson County for allegedly violating the terms of his limited driving permit.
- May 6, 2026: The Georgia Department of Driver Services publicly denies any "systemic failure" in issuing Couch's limited driving permit following his second arrest.
- May 16, 2026: Gov. Kemp extends Couch’s suspension as a result of the Dawson County traffic arrest.
- June 8, 2026: During a pre-trial evidentiary hearing, defense attorneys challenge the validity of the roadside sobriety tests and vehicle search, while prosecutors introduce evidence showing Couch admitted to drinking before driving.
- June 17, 2026: Couch’s state-mandated suspension officially expires, allowing him to be reinstated pending trial.
- Aug. 19, 2026: FOX 5 Atlanta reports that Investigator Justin Brown is terminated after an internal audit reveals he ran unauthorized Flock Safety searches on at least two license plates without a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
- Aug. 24, 2026: FOX 5 Atlanta reports that Investigator Michael Atkins is terminated after an internal audit reveals he accessed the Flock database at least four times for personal matters.
- Aug. 25, 2026: Deputy Austin Scott Flanagan is arrested on separate misdemeanor charges of making harassing phone calls. FOX 5 Atlanta later reports that he resigned while on administrative leave after an internal audit found he accessed the Flock system twice for personal reasons.
- Aug. 26, 2026: FOX 5 Atlanta reports that Uniform Patrol Deputy Jason Orellana resigned while under investigation for running 10 unauthorized Flock searches requested by a colleague without system access.
- Aug. 27, 2026: FOX 5 Atlanta reports that Jail Division Deputy Taylor McArthur resigned after being notified of an internal investigation for asking another deputy to run Flock searches on personal acquaintances.
- August 2026: The grassroots group Concerned Citizens of Hall County organizes a petition drive to gather thousands of signatures needed to force a recall election for Sheriff Couch.
- Sept. 2, 2026: FOX 5 Atlanta reports that Property Crimes Investigator Melissa Wood is terminated after internal investigators determine she repeatedly used the Flock system to track a personal acquaintance.
- Sept. 4, 2026: Deputy Brandon Sanders resigns as the Internal Affairs Unit completes its agencywide Flock audit, which uncovered that he conducted multiple off-duty, unauthorized searches across various license plate numbers.
License plate search overhaul
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the specific license plate numbers or names of the individuals Sanders searched while off duty. Prosecutors have not announced whether formal criminal charges will be filed against Sanders or the six other former staff members.
Requests for an update on the sheriff's recall petition remain unanswered.
Flock camera misuse in Georgia
Why you should care:
FOX 5 Atlanta has documented multiple incidents of law enforcement officials accessing the Flock system without authorization. As of Friday, just under 50 incidents across Georgia, with just under 30 of those in metro Atlanta, have been disclosed or uncovered.
Database security upgrades
What's next:
Sheriff Couch announced immediate policy changes restricting system access from 124 agency users down to 24 trained personnel.
Every future search must be linked to a specific criminal case number, and search data retention was reduced from 30 days to seven days unless needed as evidence.
The agency also opened a public Transparency Portal on its website to detail how the search system is used to solve crimes.
Sheriff Couch is scheduled to go to trial on his DUI charges at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 21 in Hall County.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hall County Sheriff's Office, which released an official press statement and public statement from Sheriff Gerald Couch detailing the internal audit. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.