WJCL 22 News Tia Maggio reveals new details on former SPD officers arrested for misusing flock ca...

Our Take

Credit to WJCL 22 News and reporter Tia Maggio for digging into what happens when the people entrusted with running a surveillance network decide to use it for themselves. Flock Safety and local police departments love to say their camera systems come with audit logs and "accountability built in." This case is a live demonstration of what that accountability actually looks like after the fact: an arrest, a headline, and a public left to wonder how long the misuse was happening before anyone noticed.

This is the recurring pattern with ALPR networks — the technology is sold as a tool for solving serious crimes, but the access controls around it are only as good as the humans who police them. When former officers themselves are the ones abusing the database, it's a reminder that these cameras aren't just tracking strangers; they're creating a searchable record of everyone's movements that insiders can mine for personal reasons, whether that's stalking, harassment, or something else entirely. Audits that catch problems only after someone's already been violated aren't oversight, they're damage control.

Savannah is far from the only city running these systems with minimal public scrutiny. If you want to see how many Flock and other ALPR cameras are watching your own community, check out our map, and if you think your city council should be asking harder questions before renewing these contracts, our take-action page has concrete steps to push back.