ATHENS, Ga. — An investigation found a University of Georgia Police Department IT employee misused the department’s Flock safety system 85 times without authorization.
The employee, who is not facing criminal charges, was placed on administrative leave during the investigation.
According to university officials, an Internal Affairs investigation showed the employee in question searched for vehicles related to a theft at a fencing business where he was a customer and a car involved in a hit-and-run with his wife.
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The employee’s misuse was discovered during a department-wide audit initiated by UGA Police Chief Jeffery L. Clark.
The university said the employee’s activities were a concern because he is not a sworn law enforcement, not a criminal investigator, not a crime analyst and would not normally be involved in these types of investigative searches.
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Instead, at the time of the Flock misuse, the employee would on occasion assist with criminal investigations using his training in digital forensics.
The investigative report put together by an Internal Affairs investigator found the employee had performed 19 searches for the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run with his wife.
Another 66 searches were made for a red pickup truck believed to be involved with the theft incident at the fencing business.
Neither use was authorized by UGA or the university’s police department.
“Our campus community trusts us to be forthright and transparent, and these core values are essential to uphold the integrity of the University of Georgia Police Department,” Clark said in a statement. “This staff member’s behavior constitutes a clear violation of departmental policy, particularly regarding misuse of a law enforcement database and failure to notify the chain of command.”
UGA said that when the employee returns to work from administrative leave, he will be moved to a different role, outside of the police department, and will have a reduced set of responsibilities.
As penalty for his misuse of the university’s Flock system, the employee was suspended without pay for 20 days and demoted, according to officials.
“We know our campus community has high expectations for the University of Georgia, not only in how we strive to make our campus safe and secure but also in how we maintain proper oversight and transparency in all we do,” Dan Silk, associate vice president for public safety, said. “We are committed to meeting that standard of excellence.”
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