2 more metro Atlanta deputies arrested, accused of misusing license plate reader by sheriff’s dept.

Our Take

Credit to WSB-TV for staying on this story, because it's exactly the kind of local accountability reporting that rarely gets national attention. Lieutenant Chris Bryant and Sergeant Mike Creeden didn't lose their jobs and get arrested over some abstract policy violation — they allegedly used a surveillance tool built to track millions of innocent drivers for something it was never supposed to be used for. That's not a bug in the system. That's the system working exactly as every ALPR skeptic has warned it would.

Flock Safety and every department that adopts its network insist the data is locked down, audited, and only touched for legitimate investigations. But audits only catch misuse after it happens, and "after it happens" means someone's movements, someone's home, someone's daily patterns were already exposed to a cop who decided the rules didn't apply to him. Cherokee County isn't an outlier — it's a preview. When you build a database that logs where everyone drives, you are also building a tool that's irresistible to insiders looking to stalk an ex, settle a score, or just snoop because they can.

This is why we keep mapping where these cameras live and pushing people toward real oversight, not vendor press releases. Check the map to see what's watching your own neighborhood, and if your city council or sheriff's office hasn't had a public conversation about audit logs and discipline policies, here's how to start one.