Documented Incident
Atlanta Police Department launches internal audit of Flock license plate reader use
First reported: August 11, 2026 · 7 sources
The Atlanta Police Department said it is conducting an internal audit to determine whether officers or other employees accessed the Flock automated license plate reader system for personal reasons. Deputy Chief Jason Smith could not say how many employees are under review or when findings will be released, and told Councilmember Antonio Lewis he could not commit to making results public while the investigation is active. The department declined an interview request but stated online that it values public trust. The review follows a series of Georgia cases in which officers were arrested or resigned over alleged misuse of the system.
How Atlanta handles disclosure of its audit findings will signal whether internal reviews of ALPR access function as meaningful accountability or remain closed to the public. The department is one of many agencies nationwide facing questions about who checks searches of a surveillance database covering thousands of communities.
Key facts
- APD is auditing whether employees improperly accessed or misused Flock's license plate reader system; no number of employees under investigation has been disclosed.
- Deputy Chief Jason Smith said he could not provide a timeline for findings or confirm whether results would be released publicly.
- Reported nationally, at least 50 officers have been flagged, fired or charged over license plate camera misuse, including at least a dozen cases in Georgia.
- Recent Georgia cases cited include three Bibb County deputies charged and three Coweta County Sheriff's employees who resigned under scrutiny; charges are allegations, not convictions.
- Flock reports nearly 100,000 cameras deployed in more than 6,000 communities across 49 states.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Atlanta police auditing use of Flock license plate reader system (Yahoo, August 11, 2026)
- Flock cameras raise questions about safety, privacy after alleged local misuse (aol.com, August 9, 2026)
- Atlanta police auditing use of Flock license plate reader system (FOX 5 Atlanta, August 11, 2026)
- Atlanta Police launch proactive audit amid Flock arrests in Georgia (The Augusta Chronicle, August 11, 2026)
- Georgia cops keep getting arrested for misusing Flock Safety data (reason.com, July 25, 2026)
- Atlanta Police auditing Flock license plate reader system to see if employees illegally accessed system (11Alive.com, August 11, 2026)
- Atlanta reviews use of Flock cameras amid abuses (wrdw.com, August 17, 2026)
More from Georgia
Everything we have documented in Georgia, or search every Georgia article in the archive.
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 August 19, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.