Documented Incident

Police MisuseInvestigationsAuditsTexas

Lufkin officer arrested, second on leave in Flock ALPR misuse investigation

Event: August 20, 2026 · First reported: August 20, 2026 · 34 sources

The Lufkin Police Department said officer Zachary Anthony Klein, an 11-year member of the department, was arrested by the Texas Rangers and booked into the Angelina County Jail on charges of abuse of official capacity and tampering with a government record, following an investigation into his potential misuse of Flock Safety automated license plate reader technology. A second officer was placed on administrative leave pending further review of his use of the system. The department said it began an internal audit after becoming aware of potential issues, and Chief Travis Brazil asked the Texas Rangers to conduct an outside investigation. Brazil said the department suspended its use of Flock cameras while the investigations continue.

Why this matters

Charges arising from an internal audit illustrate both how ALPR systems can be queried outside authorized purposes and how such use may go undetected until a review occurs, raising questions for other agencies about routine auditing and access controls.

Key facts

Timeline

Sources

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

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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 September 2, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.