Two Peachtree City police officers have lost their jobs after the department's own audit of its Flock Safety license plate reader system caught them misusing the technology — and both cases have been handed to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for criminal investigation.
The department said the two incidents were flagged independently of each other during the audit, and each was treated as a separate matter.
In each instance, the officer involved was identified and the matter was immediately referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an independent criminal investigation.— Peachtree City Police Department, statement
Neither of the individuals involved remains employed with the Peachtree City Police Department.— Peachtree City Police Department spokesman
The GBI confirmed an investigation is underway but declined to share details about who is under investigation or what conduct is alleged.
The Peachtree City cases stand out from a broader national pattern documented by USA TODAY, in which misuse of Flock Safety systems was caught not by police agencies themselves, but by journalists. USA TODAY's analysis of more than 75 million Flock searches across 6,300-plus agencies over three and a half years identified hundreds of law enforcement personnel who searched single license plates hundreds or thousands of times — often with vague justifications like 'SUS,' 'TRAFFIC,' or a single letter of the alphabet. In several cases, the targeted vehicles were registered to officers' ex-partners, co-workers, or family members.
Across five states, at least 19 police and sheriff's office employees were arrested, fired, placed on administrative leave, or put under investigation over roughly two months — most only after USA TODAY reporters contacted their employers, according to the outlet. In Dallas, Georgia, a 911 director was arrested after investigators found she had searched for cars belonging to her estranged husband and his new girlfriend more than 2,500 times. In Covington, Georgia, a detective was fired after Flock's own audit tool revealed he had tracked a female co-worker's car 41 times since January — though USA TODAY later found the full scope of his surveillance stretched back to June 2023 and totaled at least 2,890 searches.
In response to mounting scrutiny, Flock Safety in December 2025 changed its software to black out officer initials, license plate numbers, and stated search reasons from audit logs — moves the company said were aimed at protecting undercover officers, though it did not provide specific examples when pressed by USA TODAY. In January 2026, Flock rolled out a new tool to help agencies detect abnormal search activity, but it only covers searches dating back to January 2026, and agencies won't be required to adopt it until next year, according to USA TODAY.
Any officer abuse of our system is completely unacceptable, and the people that abuse our system should absolutely be held accountable.— Paris Lewbell, Flock Safety public relations manager
What comes next in Peachtree City depends on the GBI's criminal investigations. The department has not named the former officers or described the nature of the alleged misuse.
Why it matters — Peachtree City's self-initiated audit and immediate GBI referral represent a test of whether police agencies can police themselves on surveillance technology — at a moment when a national investigation found most agencies only acted after journalists intervened.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- The specific nature of the misconduct by the two Peachtree City officers has not been disclosed.
Reported by wsbtv.com, usatoday.com
Where this comes from
Written by Papalocal's AI from these outlets' reporting. It can miss or misread things; the outlets are the record.