Pinellas County deputies arrested for misuse of license plate readers

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two deputies for improperly accessing agency systems. The misuse involved automated license plate readers (ALPRs), specifically the Flock database.

The investigation into the misuse was prompted by inquiries from a reporter who identified anomalies in publicly accessible search logs. While the sheriff’s office initially stated there were no active investigations into database abuse, subsequent research into additional ALPR vendors confirmed the misuse. This incident follows a pattern of similar investigations where law enforcement officers have been accused of using camera data for unauthorized purposes, such as stalking.