A Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera (FOX 5 Atlanta).
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County police officers face termination and criminal charges following an internal investigation into the misuse of license plate reader technology.
Gwinnett police investigation
What we know:
Gwinnett County police charged three officers and ended their employment after discovering misuse of the department's Flock license plate reader system. Investigators arrested Renee Downer in May on charges of simple battery and stalking. Authorities charged Derric Holmes with six counts of misuse of license plate data, while Matthew Lau faces one count of the same charge.
Department officials gained access to a new auditing system in June that allowed administrators to review search activity and flag suspicious usage. Following the discoveries, leadership altered how officers access the database. Officers must now submit search requests with justifications to direct supervisors, who evaluate the need and perform the search. The department mandated retraining for all officers and cut the data retention period from 30 days to 15 days.
License plate system
What we don't know:
Police officials have not revealed whether additional officers are under review or if more charges will be filed as the investigation continues. Authorities have not detailed the specific targets or circumstances surrounding the unauthorized searches conducted by Holmes and Lau.
Gwinnett County Flock misuse cases
Timeline:
Here is how the investigation unfolded:
- May 2026: Officer Renee Downer was arrested and charged with simple battery and stalking after an internal audit revealed she used law enforcement databases to monitor a former partner.
- June 2026: The Gwinnett County Police Department gained access to Flock’s expanded auditing system, enabling administrators to review officer search activity and flag suspicious database usage.
- Sept. 4, 2026: Authorities charged officer Derric Holmes with six counts of misuse of license plate data and officer Matthew Lau with one count, while terminating all three officers. Police Chief J.D. McClure announced immediate policy changes, including supervisor pre-approval for searches, mandatory retraining, and cutting the data retention period from 30 days to 15 days.
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.
Crime-fighting safeguards
What they're saying:
Police Chief J.D. McClure said the department took immediate action to limit system access when administrators identified the violations.
"We understand why the public expects us to closely monitor who accesses this technology and how it is being used," McClure said. "Flock is an extremely important crime fighting tool and misuse of this technology will not be tolerated."
McClure noted that officers will continue to receive license plate alerts for stolen vehicles, missing persons and violent crime suspects. Department records show the reader technology has helped investigators locate vehicles tied to homicides, shootings, child kidnappings and individuals with dementia.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Gwinnett County Police Department, which detailed the charges and policy changes in a public press release.