Documented Incident
Apache Junction officer resigns after using Flock ALPR data to track his wife, chief says
Event: April 1, 2026 · First reported: August 11, 2026 · 20 sources
Apache Junction Police Chief Michael Pooley said an officer, Joshua McDaniel, used the department's Flock Safety license plate reader system in April to locate his wife and asked Casa Grande police to conduct a welfare check on her. After both Casa Grande police and Apache Junction dispatchers reported the request, McDaniel was placed on administrative leave, his system access was restricted, and an internal investigation was opened. Pooley said McDaniel resigned once the investigation concluded and would have been fired otherwise. Pooley said the case did not become a criminal investigation because, in his account, no Arizona law makes personal use of license plate reader data a crime.
The case illustrates how ALPR misuse by an individual officer may fall outside existing criminal statutes, leaving internal discipline as the primary remedy, and adds to a series of Arizona agencies reassessing their Flock contracts.
Key facts
- Chief Michael Pooley said the officer used Flock data in April to track his wife and requested a welfare check through Casa Grande police.
- The officer, identified by Pooley as Joshua McDaniel, had been with the department about a year and a half and resigned after the internal investigation; Pooley said he would otherwise have been fired.
- Pooley said no criminal investigation followed because Arizona law does not currently criminalize accessing license plate data for personal use, and said he would support making it a crime.
- Apache Junction has roughly 35 Flock cameras, shares data with more than 60 state agencies but not federal ones, and does not plan to change its use of the system, according to Pooley.
- Chandler recently ended a $153,000 Flock contract after a police employee misused it, and the Pinal County Sheriff's Office declined to renew its contract, citing Fourth Amendment concerns.
Timeline
- August 11, 2026Arizona police officer resigns after misusing Flock system
- August 11, 2026Apache Junction police officer resigns after probe into license plate reader cameras
- August 11, 2026Police chief addresses license plate reader misuse
- August 11, 2026AZ officer quits over license plate reader misuse
- August 10, 2026Apache Junction Officer Misused License Plate Cameras to Track Down Family Member
- August 19, 2026Apache Junction officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader resigned prior to firing: Docs
- August 21, 2026Records detail Arizona officer’s misuse of Flock cameras to find wife
- August 23, 2026Apache Junction officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader resigned prior to firing: Docs
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Arizona police officer resigns after misusing Flock system (azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic, August 11, 2026)
- Apache Junction police officer resigns after probe into license plate reader cameras (yourvalley.net, August 11, 2026)
- Police chief addresses license plate reader misuse (Newsbreak, August 11, 2026)
- AZ officer quits over license plate reader misuse (Newsbreak, August 11, 2026)
- Apache Junction Officer Misused License Plate Cameras to Track Down Family Member (Hoodline, August 10, 2026)
- Apache Junction officer resigns amid investigation into plate reader misuse (Yahoo News Canada, August 11, 2026)
- Apache Junction officer used license plate reader to find family member: PD (FOX 10 Phoenix, August 10, 2026)
- Apache Junction officer resigns amid investigation into plate reader misuse (ABC15 Arizona, August 10, 2026)
- Apache Junction officer resigns after misusing Flock cameras for personal reasons (KTAR News 92.3 FM, August 11, 2026)
- Apache Junction police officer resigns after probe into license plate reader cameras (yourvalley.net, August 11, 2026)
- PD: Apache Junction officer resigns after misusing Flock cameras to track wife (AZ Family, August 10, 2026)
- Police chief addresses license plate reader misuse (FOX 10 Phoenix, August 11, 2026)
- Police chief addresses license plate reader misuse (Headtopics, August 11, 2026)
- Flock Safety addresses privacy concerns about license plate reader cameras (13newsnow.com, August 13, 2026)
- Flock Safety addresses privacy concerns about license plate reader cameras (13newsnow.com, August 14, 2026)
- Apache Junction officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader resigned prior to firing: Docs (Fox 10 Phoenix, August 19, 2026)
- Apache Junction officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader resigned prior to firing: Docs (Yahoo, August 19, 2026)
- Records detail Arizona officer’s misuse of Flock cameras to find wife (AZ Family, August 21, 2026)
- New records detail Arizona Flock camera misuse. What they reveal (AZ Family, August 21, 2026)
- Apache Junction officer accused of misusing Flock license plate reader resigned prior to firing: Docs (AOL.com, August 23, 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 August 26, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.