Documented Incident
Franklin County, NC detective fired after internal audit found Flock system misuse
First reported: September 25, 2026 · 4 sources
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office says an internal audit of its Flock automated license plate reader system found that Detective Janet Leonard had used the cameras to track a private individual. Sheriff White said in a release that Leonard was fired and that the findings were referred to the District Attorney. The agency, which has used the cameras for close to a decade, has halted use of the Flock system. No charges against Leonard were reported at the time of the article.
The case illustrates that ALPR misuse by an individual officer can go undetected until an audit is run, and it offers a data point on how agencies respond once misuse is identified.
Key facts
- Detective Janet Leonard was fired following an internal audit of the sheriff's office Flock system.
- Sheriff White said the system was used to track the movements of a single private citizen.
- The findings were forwarded to the District Attorney; no charges were reported in the article.
- The Franklin County Sheriff's Office has suspended use of the Flock cameras, which it had deployed for nearly a decade.
Timeline
- September 25, 2026Franklin County detective fired for misue of Flock Camera system
- September 25, 2026Franklin County detective fired after using Flock cameras to track private citizen
- September 25, 2026Flock cameras' alleged misuse leads to NC deputy being fired, suspension of the system in Franklin County
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Franklin County detective fired for misue of Flock Camera system (WRAL, September 25, 2026)
- Franklin County detective fired after using Flock cameras to track private citizen (WXII, September 25, 2026)
- Flock cameras' alleged misuse leads to NC deputy being fired, suspension of the system in Franklin County (ABC11 News, September 25, 2026)
- Franklin County Detective Fired for Tracking Private Citizen With Flock Cameras (Hoodline, September 25, 2026)
More from North Carolina
Everything we have documented in North Carolina, or search every North Carolina 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 29, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.