The Savannah Police Department fired six employees after an internal investigation found they used a license plate reader system for personal searches instead of legitimate police work.
The case adds to growing concerns over how easily powerful surveillance tools can be misused.
What happened?
According to WTOC, SPD fired four sworn officers and two civilian employees after a review of activity in its Flock Safety system found searches involving relatives and other people they knew personally.
WTOC also reported that all six matters were part of a separate criminal investigation being handled by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The problem was uncovered during a proactive review of system activity that highlighted searches with no apparent connection to legitimate law enforcement work. SPD said its administrative investigation determined that department policies for authorized use of the technology had been violated.
WTOC added that one officer gave someone at another law enforcement agency access to Savannah's Flock Safety system without authorization.
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Officials said every search in the platform is logged automatically, and the department said the misuse was detected through its auditing process, including the Flock Safety Audit Assistance program that became available in April.
Why does it matter?
License plate reader systems are often promoted as tools that can help solve crimes, locate stolen vehicles, and ensure public safety.
Most drivers have no way to know if and when their vehicle data is being searched, who is looking it up, or whether the reason is valid.
Surveillance systems are becoming more common in cities across the country, and Flock's technology has raised privacy concerns and led to wrongful arrests. The possibility that employees could misuse information by ignoring rules adds another layer to those worries.
Oversight must be built in from the start.
What's being done?
SPD said its internal review was complete, all six employees had been terminated, and that the criminal investigation by the GBI was underway.
The department also added new oversight measures.
WTOC reported that, following the findings, the Office of Professional Standards began conducting weekly audits of how the Flock Safety system was being used.
Automatic logs, independent reviews, and routine checks can make it harder for anyone to treat a public safety tool as a private search engine.
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