DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb Police Chief Gregory Padrick confirms eight DeKalb police officers have been suspended for violating department policy about the use of the Flock automated license plate reader system, which is for tracking vehicles that may be involved in crimes.
He says the discipline ranged from 16 to 80 hours suspension, and none of the eight have been criminally charged.
Channel 2 Action News has previously reported on several officers in metro Atlanta and in the state who have been fired and arrested over misusing the cameras, including most recently in Coweta County, Savannah and Habersham County.
The DeKalb chief told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that internal investigations determined five officers used the Flock system to track vehicles without any legitimate law enforcement purpose for personal reasons, for instance tracking someone involved in a personal relationship with them.
But Padrick said three of the eight violations involved searches supported by a legitimate law enforcement purpose but conducted without following the department’s required procedures or documentation requirements.
“The system is invaluable as far as assisting officers in investigating crimes, stopping crimes before they happen, or actually apprehending criminals and recovering stolen vehicles,” said Gary Yandura.
He says officers used the Flock system when he was police chief in Brookhaven and then Chamblee to solve crimes.
“Every system out there is going to have a few bad apples that are probably going to try to misuse it or whatever,” he said. “That’s very limited, and it seems like most of the departments are trying to take care of any issues that people or the employees that are abusing the system.”
“Since January 1, 2026, the DeKalb County Police Department has used the Flock Audit Tool to strengthen oversight of access to the Flock Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) database. The Department conducts a comprehensive audit of system usage every two weeks to review user activity, identify potential misuse, and ensure compliance with Department policy,” Dekalb County Chief Communications Officer Dionna Smith says.
The email says between Jan. 1 and July 24 of this year, department personnel conducted 53,276 searches within the Flock system.
It says the department “continues to strengthen its internal policy governing use of the Flock ALPR system, adding specificity around authorized use and documentation requirements to reinforce accountability going forward.”
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
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