Sheriff's investigator accused of improper Flock camera use to track ex girlfriend

Our Take

Credit to Local 12 for digging into this one. A senior investigator at the Albany County Sheriff's Office is accused of using the agency's Flock Safety camera network to track an ex-girlfriend — not a suspect, not a warrant, just a personal grudge run through a mass surveillance system built on the promise that it would only ever be used for 'serious crime.'

This is the exact scenario that critics of ALPR networks have been warning about since these cameras started multiplying on street corners nationwide. Flock and its law enforcement customers love to tout audit logs and 'access controls,' but an audit log only matters if someone is actually reviewing it before the damage is done, not months after a victim complains. The uncomfortable truth is that any database this large, this searchable, and this easy to query becomes a tool for whoever has a login and a motive — stalking an ex, checking up on a neighbor, intimidating a rival. Badge or no badge, that's abuse of power dressed up as public safety infrastructure.

Stories like this are why we keep pushing people to find out what's watching them. Check our camera map to see if Flock has a presence near you, and if it does, head to our take-action page to learn how to push back at your city council or sheriff's office before your plate data becomes someone's personal surveillance tool.