Documented Incident
Audit logs show Monongalia County deputies ran 1,890 Flock searches, led by drug queries
First reported: October 14, 2026 · 5 sources
Flock Safety network audit logs obtained by resident Jonathan Lynch through a FOIA request and shared with WBOY show the Monongalia County Sheriff's Office searched the ALPR database 1,890 times so far this year. Drug and narcotics queries paired with terms like "investigations," "intel" and "surveillance" were the most common, followed by hit-and-run (98), missing or endangered person (93), financial (79), and stalking and trespassing searches (51 combined). Deputies also logged roughly 40 "Traffic Infraction" searches since January, and ran repeated searches in late June and July tied to the theft or vandalism of Flock cameras themselves. Two men, Wesley Jackson and Illia Petrov, were arrested in July and August in connection with damaged or stolen cameras; the charges have not been resolved in court.
Agency audit logs are one of the few mechanisms the public has to check how ALPR systems are actually used versus how they are described, and the Monongalia records offer a rare itemized look at search categories, including traffic enforcement queries after Flock quietly dropped its claim that its cameras were not used for traffic violations.
Key facts
- 1,890 searches of the Flock database were logged by the Monongalia County Sheriff's Office so far this year, according to FOIA'd audit logs
- The sheriff's office operates 20 Flock cameras and authorizes 35 personnel to search them and the nationwide Flock network
- Search category counts included hit-and-run (98), missing/endangered person (93), financial (79), stalking and trespassing (51), and traffic infraction (about 40)
- Some entries were logged as system testing or training, including 30 "Alcohol Offenses (Non-DUI) – Test" queries
- Deputies ran repeated searches from June 25–29 to identify vehicles tied to Flock camera theft or vandalism; two arrests followed, and the cases have not been adjudicated
- WBOY reported Flock removed language claiming its cameras were not used for traffic enforcement sometime after December 2025
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Inside Mon County deputies’ searches of Flock camera database (WBOY.com, October 14, 2026)
- Monongalia County Flock camera data searched 3 million times, group says (WV News, October 14, 2026)
- Inside Mon County deputies’ searches of Flock camera database (WBOY.com, October 14, 2026)
- Inside Mon County deputies’ searches of Flock camera database (WBOY.com, October 14, 2026)
- Inside Mon County deputies’ searches of Flock camera database (AOL.com, October 14, 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 October 17, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.