The Fayetteville Police Department fired three of its police officers following allegations that they improperly used the agency’s Flock surveillance camera network.
Agency officials discovered the breach while activating and testing a new internal auditing feature. The system flagged unauthorized searches that fell outside the scope of regular police work. Investigators found out the terminated employees were tracking their own license plates alongside those of family members and personal acquaintances.
The three officers, whose identities have not been released, were placed on administrative leave before their official termination.
“The department will not speculate regarding the intent behind those searches,” the police department said in an official statement. “However, searches of this nature are subject to strict scrutiny and were determined to have been conducted without a legitimate law-enforcement purpose, thereby constituting a violation of department policy.”
State law enforcement has been brought in to evaluate the situation. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked by local police to launch a criminal investigation into the matter. No formal criminal charges have been announced against the three former Fayetteville officers.
This incident joins a growing list of modern surveillance abuses across north Georgia law enforcement agencies.
A broader CBS News Atlanta investigation confirms that at least 10 Georgia officers have been disciplined, fired, or arrested in recent weeks for similar automated license plate reader violations. In June, a Greene County deputy was fired and arrested for unauthorized data searches. Later that month, three Cherokee County sheriff’s employees—including a lieutenant and a sergeant—faced termination and subsequent arrests. Similar audits in July led to the termination of five Albany police officers and a DeKalb County sheriff’s deputy.
An independent investigation by Atlanta News First revealed that these surveillance platforms track vehicle movements far beyond standard criminal investigations. The network preserves location and time stamps within a searchable database for 30 days. This collected information is routinely shared across hundreds of external law enforcement agencies. Specialized camera models are also capable of physically tracking pedestrians as they walk.
Public pushback has occasionally turned physical. Activists continue to hold nationwide protests citing severe privacy violations. Earlier this month, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation into vandals who targeted several local Flock setups. The suspects sliced down camera poles and cut through solar power equipment to take the tracking units offline.
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