Police officers face charges for misusing license plate reader systems

Law enforcement agencies in Georgia and Indiana are addressing incidents of officers misusing automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology to track individuals in their personal lives.

In Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, Officer Tyler Vaughn was fired after an internal investigation revealed he used the Flock Safety camera system to search for his former girlfriend’s vehicle. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to conduct a criminal investigation into the matter. Following the incident, the department restricted ALPR access, mandating that only personnel with the rank of supervisor or higher may initiate searches.

In Kokomo, Indiana, Officer Jeffery Alan Bornes Jr. faces felony official misconduct and misdemeanor fraud charges. Investigators found that Bornes conducted 18 unauthorized searches for a private individual's vehicle between February 19 and February 28, falsely citing “welfare checks” as the reason for each query. The Kokomo Police Department discovered the activity during a review of over 9,000 Flock searches.