Athens-Clarke County officer fired over alleged Flock ALPR searches of ex-girlfriend's vehicle

First reported: October 7, 2026 · 3 sources

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department fired Officer Tyler Vaughn this week after an internal review concluded he had improperly used the department's Flock automated license plate reader system to repeatedly search a plate linked to his former girlfriend's vehicle. According to ACCPD, the review began after another officer reported the suspected misuse to supervisors. The department referred the matter to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for a criminal investigation. No charges against Vaughn had been reported at the time of publication.

Why this matters

The case is the second alleged misuse of the same agency's ALPR system within roughly a month, raising questions about how departments audit searches and detect personal use of surveillance tools.

Key facts

Officer Tyler Vaughn was fired by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department following an internal review.
ACCPD said the initial investigation found Vaughn searched a license plate associated with his ex-girlfriend's vehicle numerous times.
The internal review was prompted by another officer reporting the conduct to superiors.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation; no charges were reported as of publication.
Less than a month earlier, a civilian ACCPD employee was arrested by the GBI over alleged use of the system to track his ex-wife.

Timeline

October 7, 2026Athens police officer under investigation for Flock camera misuse
October 8, 2026Athens police officer fired after alleged Flock camera searches of ex-girlfriend’s plate

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Athens police officer under investigation for Flock camera misuse (Classic City News, October 7, 2026)
Athens police officer fired after alleged Flock camera searches of ex-girlfriend’s plate (WRDW, October 8, 2026)
Athens police officer fired after alleged Flock camera searches of ex-girlfriend’s plate (WRDW, October 8, 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 10, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.