Documented Incident
Galveston police chief cites 2024 firings over database misuse during council Flock debate
Event: January 1, 2024 · First reported: August 31, 2026 · 1 source
At an Aug. 27 Galveston City Council meeting on Flock Safety cameras, Police Chief Doug Balli disclosed that two officers were fired in 2024 for misusing TransUnion TLOxp, an investigative database used to locate people and retrieve personal information. Balli said the officers acted independently, that both searched for multiple people and at least one searched for information about other officers, and that the department sought criminal charges but the district attorney's office declined to file them. The incidents did not involve Flock cameras; Balli said he raised them to illustrate the misuse his department is trying to prevent. Balli also confirmed the city operates 36 Flock Safety cameras, including one aimed at a drone landing pad.
The case shows how surveillance-data misuse is detected and punished in practice — internal discipline followed by a declined prosecution — a gap other communities weigh when deciding whether ALPR audit logs and policies are sufficient safeguards.
Key facts
- Two Galveston officers were fired in 2024 over misuse of the TransUnion TLOxp database; the department sought charges but the DA declined to file.
- The misuse did not involve Flock Safety cameras, according to Chief Doug Balli.
- Balli said the Galveston Police Department operates 36 Flock cameras within city limits.
- Council members Jeffrey Taylor and Sharon Lewis had placed the Flock update on the agenda.
- On the same day as the meeting, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to pause funding for Flock Safety cameras.
- Balli said he would support legislation making such data misuse by officers a felony.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Past police data misuse shapes Galveston Flock debate (The Daily News | Texas' Oldest Newspaper, August 31, 2026)
More from Texas
Everything we have documented in Texas, or search every Texas 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 2, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.