Documented Incident
Albany County investigator charged over 4,000-plus alleged unauthorized Flock searches
First reported: September 11, 2026 · 5 sources
Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said an audit found Senior Investigator Laurie Moore allegedly conducted more than 4,000 unauthorized searches of the office's Flock Safety license plate reader system, including tracking people she knew and a former girlfriend. Moore, described as a 13-year veteran of the agency, has been charged with official misconduct and falsifying business records, both misdemeanors, and is presumed innocent. Apple apologized for what he called a breach of trust and said the office has restricted access, now requiring supervisor approval and a case number, with audits planned every 30 days. The case has intensified debate in Albany over whether New York should set statewide rules for ALPR use.
The case illustrates how internal audits can surface large-scale personal misuse of ALPR databases, and it is being cited in New York's debate over whether agency-level policy changes suffice or statewide rules on retention, access and auditing are needed.
Key facts
- Sheriff Apple said an audit identified more than 4,000 unauthorized searches by Senior Investigator Laurie Moore, a 13-year veteran; she faces two misdemeanor charges and is presumed innocent.
- The sheriff's office says deputies no longer have direct system access, searches must be routed through supervisors with a legitimate case number, and usage will be audited every 30 days.
- Assemblymember Pamela Hunter (D-128th District) has introduced A10808, which would generally cap ALPR data retention at 48 hours with exceptions for felonies, stolen vehicles and missing children. The bill is a proposal, not enacted law.
- ACLU senior policy counsel Chad Marlow said his greater concern is the system working as intended, which he characterized as creating a location record on 350 million Americans.
- John Jay College's Adam Scott Wandt said ALPRs have aided major investigations and searches for missing people, but require protocols, training and oversight.
Timeline
- September 11, 2026Albany County Flock case fuels push for ALPR guardrails
- September 10, 2026NY sheriff’s investigator arrested, accused of misusing Flock cameras to track ex-girlfriend
- September 11, 2026Sheriff: Investigator Used Flock Cameras to Stalk Ex
- September 18, 2026Suspended ACSO investigator arraigned for alleged Flock camera misuse
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Albany County Flock case fuels push for ALPR guardrails (spectrumlocalnews.com, September 11, 2026)
- NY sheriff’s investigator arrested, accused of misusing Flock cameras to track ex-girlfriend (Syracuse Ny Local News, September 10, 2026)
- Sheriff: Investigator Used Flock Cameras to Stalk Ex (Newser, September 11, 2026)
- NY sheriff investigator allegedly used Flock cameras to track ex - girlfriend (nypost.com, September 10, 2026)
- Suspended ACSO investigator arraigned for alleged Flock camera misuse (NEWS10 ABC, September 18, 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 September 18, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.