Columbus police officer under investigation for alleged misuse of Flock system

Our Take

WBNS 10TV reports that Columbus police officer Melvin Tellis is now under investigation for allegedly misusing the department's Flock Safety camera system. We don't know yet exactly what he's accused of doing, but the mere fact that an officer could allegedly abuse this network is the whole point we keep making: these systems are only as trustworthy as the person sitting at the keyboard.

Flock and police departments love to tout audit logs and "reasonable suspicion" policies as proof the system can't be abused. But audit trails only catch misuse after it happens, and they rely on someone actually reviewing them. A single officer with access to a database of everywhere your car has been can use that power to stalk an ex, dig up dirt on a neighbor, or run plates for reasons that have nothing to do with public safety. That's not a hypothetical anymore — it's an open investigation in Ohio's capital.

This is exactly why we track where these cameras are going up in the first place. Check our map to see if Flock has quietly moved into your neighborhood, and visit our take-action page if you want to push back on unchecked ALPR deployment before the next misuse story breaks in your city.