Documented Incident
Athens-Clarke County police fire second employee over Flock ALPR misuse in 2026
Event: October 7, 2026 · First reported: October 7, 2026 · 7 sources
Athens-Clarke County Police Department officer Tyler Vaughn was fired after an internal investigation concluded he improperly queried the department's Flock Safety automated license plate reader system in 2025 to look up his former girlfriend's vehicle multiple times over one week, according to an ACCPD press release. The inquiry began immediately after another officer reported suspected misuse on Tuesday, Oct. 6. It is the second such firing this year, following the August termination of criminal intelligence analyst supervisor Nick Barker, who the department said searched his ex-wife's plate repeatedly over several months in 2025. ACCPD has asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to conduct a criminal investigation while a concurrent internal review continues.
Two confirmed cases of personal-relationship lookups within one agency in a single year illustrate how ALPR databases can be queried without external checks, and ACCPD's response — restricting searches to supervisors and above — offers other jurisdictions a concrete example of after-the-fact audit and access controls.
Key facts
- Officer Tyler Vaughn was fired after an internal investigation found he searched his ex-girlfriend's license plate numerous times over one week in 2025.
- The investigation began after a fellow officer reported suspected misuse on Oct. 6.
- Former criminal intelligence analyst supervisor Nick Barker was fired in August over similar searches of his ex-wife's plate.
- ACCPD policy bars use of the ALPR system for personal or non-law-enforcement purposes; searches are now limited to supervisors and above.
- The GBI has been asked to conduct a criminal investigation; no charges or findings from that review have been reported.
Timeline
- October 7, 2026ACCPD terminates second employee for Flock camera misuse in 2026
- October 8, 2026Athens officer fired for tracking ex-girlfriend on Flock, police say
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- ACCPD terminates second employee for Flock camera misuse in 2026 (The Red & Black, October 7, 2026)
- Athens officer fired for tracking ex-girlfriend on Flock, police say (Online Athens, October 8, 2026)
- Athens-Clarke officer fired for using Flock cameras to track ex-girlfriend (Now Georgia, October 7, 2026)
- Athens police officer fired for allegedly using Flock system to track ex (FOX 5 Atlanta, October 7, 2026)
- Athens police officer fired after allegedly misusing license plate reader to track ex-girlfriend (11Alive.com, October 7, 2026)
- ACCPD terminates officer for Flock camera misuse (The Red & Black, October 7, 2026)
- Athens police officer fired for allegedly using Flock system to track ex (AOL.com, October 7, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated October 12, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.