Documented Incident
Ex-Joplin officer charged with four misdemeanor counts over Flock and state database lookups
Event: October 24, 2025 · First reported: September 8, 2026 · 1 source
Kenneth Dewayne Andersen, a former Joplin, Missouri police officer from Oronogo, has been charged in Jasper County with four misdemeanor counts of misuse of official information. Prosecutors allege he ran queries on Joplin's Flock Safety license plate camera system and the Missouri State Highway Patrol's MULES/NCIC network to check on three private citizens — two women and one man — for reasons unrelated to his duties. The Joplin Police Department said in a January statement that an internal investigation found a single officer violated department policy on equipment and systems, and referred the matter to the Highway Patrol. The charges are allegations that have not been resolved in court.
The case illustrates how automated license plate reader records can be queried for personal reasons, and how much depends on audits and after-the-fact review; court documents indicate many of the alleged lookups fell outside the statute of limitations and could not be charged.
Key facts
- Four misdemeanor counts of misuse of official information filed in Jasper County against former Joplin officer Kenneth Dewayne Andersen.
- Counts cite alleged conduct on Oct. 24, 2025, Dec. 13, 2025, and Dec. 28, 2025.
- A Highway Patrol probable-cause statement alleges Andersen ran a large number of Flock Safety checks on three license plates belonging to private citizens.
- Most of the alleged checks could not be prosecuted because they fell outside the statute of limitations, according to court documents.
- Joplin police said in January that an internal investigation found a policy violation by one officer and referred the case to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, without naming the officer at that time.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Former Joplin police officer charged with misusing tracking information (Duncanbanner, September 8, 2026)
More from Missouri
Everything we have documented in Missouri, or search every Missouri 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 September 9, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.