New police arrests, firings for Flock misuse after our investigation

New police arrests, firings for Flock misuse after our investigation.

Key points

• David Crowley, the Milwaukee County Executive and Democratic candidate for governor in Wisconsin, issued a directive calling for limits on Flock camera employ on county property.
• The Richmond County Sheriff's Office in Georgia arrested deputy Jose Ferrer for misusing a license plate reader and violating his oath of office.
• In Florida, former Fort Pierce police officer Josepher Crutchfield was charged with four felony counts of accessing a computer network without authorization, court records show.
• "The explanation provided for the searches did not establish a legitimate law enforcement purpose consistent with the authorized use of the Flock Camera System, " Kelly's statement remarked.
• Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther remarked the city will undergo a third-party audit to identify any further misuses.

New police arrests, firings for Flock misuse after our investigation. Kenny Jacoby, Austin Fast, Jack Lemnus USA TODAY. Columbus pauses Flock Safety cameras after evidence of misuse.

Meanwhile, an officer searched for the same plate more than 270 times. Police are now investigating and the city is pausing the employ of the cameras.

At least three more police officers were arrested and a fourth was fired for alleged misuse of Flock license plate reader cameras after USA TODAY reporters asked their employers why they repeatedly tracked individual cars.

Those latest developments bring the total number of police and sheriff's authorities arrested, fired, put on leave or placed under investigation as of USA TODAY's reporting on widespread Flock misuse to 22.

Their cases are part of a national reckoning that has prompted multiple cities, counties and states to pause or altogether abandon the technology.

In Florida, former Fort Pierce police officer Josepher Crutchfield was charged with four felony counts of accessing a computer network without authorization, court records show. He has not entered a plea.

Meanwhile, a USA TODAY analysis of publicly published Flock audit logs identified that Crutchfield applied the service to search a woman's license plate at least 189 times over eight months in 2025. Days after a USA TODAY reporter called her, the woman filed a petition in St. Lucie County court for a protection order against Crutchfield for stalking.

In practice, the Richmond County Sheriff's Office in Georgia arrested deputy Jose Ferrer for misusing a license plate reader and violating his oath of office. He applied Flock to search a single tag at least 1, 146 times from January 2023 to May 2025, USA TODAY's analysis identified, entering as his reasons for the searches, "SUSPICIOUS" and "BOB."

Notably, the sheriff's office was not aware of Ferrer's frequent searches until a USA TODAY reporter contacted the agency in August, remarked Lt. James Kelly of the internal affairs department in an emailed statement. As of press time, Ferrer has not been charged in court.

"The explanation provided for the searches did not establish a legitimate law enforcement purpose consistent with the authorized use of the Flock Camera System, " Kelly's statement remarked. "The repeated searches of the same license plate, combined with the circumstances surrounding those searches, raised significant concerns and warranted an investigation."

Laurie Moore, a senior investigator with the Albany County Sheriff's Office in New York, was charged with official misconduct and falsifying business records after a USA TODAY reporter asked regarding her frequent searches of four license plates from November 2024 to September 2025, including one more than 2, 600 times.

For context, a subsequent investigation by the sheriff's office determined that that plate was registered to Moore's former girlfriend. She additionally repeatedly searched four other plates "with no lawful purposes, " Sheriff Craig Apple stated during a Sept. 9 press conference. Moore, who is due to appear in court on Sept. 24, does not appear to have entered a plea.

"We began our investigation after we received your email, " remarked Caitlin Mattos, an attorney for the sheriff's office, in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. "Your questions were a catalyst for a more detailed look at how Flock was being utilized."In Ohio, the Columbus Division of Police fired officer Melvin Tellis after a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch – part of the USA TODAY Network – asked the agency regarding Tellis. This person searched a single tag at least 272 times from November 2023 to December 2024. Chief Elaine Bryant remarked Tellis conducted the searches for personal reasons and asked the city's Department of Public Safety to investigate him.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther remarked the city will undergo a third-party audit to identify any further misuses. In the meantime, the city will pause its employ of Flock entirely and cover the city's 65 cameras with bags.

"Until I can report out to the people of Columbus that this isn't a more widespread issue, that this really is just one person or a few people misusing and abusing this technology, I can't with confidence ask them to trust us with this thing, " Ginther remarked.

Columbus isn't the only city to suspend its Flock employ in response to worries over officer misuse. The St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri and Lufkin Police Department in Texas additionally did so after USA TODAY reporters asked them concerning frequent searches by officers at each agency. The St. Charles County officer was suspended. The Lufkin officer, Zachary Klein, was charged with at least 100 felonies; he has not entered a plea.

Backlash against Flock has additionally led a number of state and national politicians in recent weeks to propose limits on how local agencies can employ it.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration moved to end the employ of Flock cameras on state roads, citing worries over privacy and misuse. Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas issued an order halting state funding for the Flock cameras.

David Crowley, the Milwaukee County Executive and Democratic candidate for governor in Wisconsin, issued a directive calling for limits on Flock camera employ on county property. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate, proposed barring Wisconsin municipalities from using certain state funds for Flock cameras until a task force can review the matter and "strong protections for personal privacy are in place."

U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) in July introduced the "Flock-Off Act, " legislation that would ban state and local governments from using federal funds to purchase license plate reader cameras and federal agencies from using them altogether. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, new police arrests, firings for Flock misuse after our investigation is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.