Second Columbus police officer relieved of duty amid Flock camera probe
The short version: A second Columbus officer has been relieved of duty as an audit into Flock ALPR misuse widens, days before new city surveillance limits kick in.
Our Take
Credit to Pique Media for keeping a camera on this story. Two officers relieved of duty in the same department, over the same system, in the same audit — that's not a one-off "bad apple," that's a pattern, and patterns are exactly what Flock's defenders insist don't exist.
Departments sell these networks as narrowly focused on stolen cars and Amber Alerts, then quietly let officers run plates for reasons that have nothing to do with any of that. Columbus only caught this because someone finally audited the logs. Most cities never do. The timing here is almost poetic: new surveillance limits were already scheduled to take effect September 30th, and the department is cleaning house right before the rules tighten. That's the system working, barely, and only under pressure.
Every one of these scandals is a reminder that the question isn't whether an officer will misuse access — it's how long it takes anyone to notice. Check whether your own city is running these cameras on our map, and if it is, push your council for real audit requirements before you find out the hard way what "misuse" actually means. Our take-action page has the tools to start that fight.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Pique Media, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.