Documented Incident
Newnan police tell city council Flock searches are restricted to supervisors, audited weekly
Event: September 14, 2026 · First reported: September 14, 2026 · 3 sources
Newnan Police Chief Brent Blankenship and Lt. Kevin Black briefed the Newnan City Council on the department's license plate reader policies after a request from the mayor. They said the department's five Flock cameras can only be searched by sergeants and lieutenants, with patrol officers required to route tag queries through a supervisor. Supervisors conduct weekly audits of internal searches, and the chief said Flock's built-in audit tools flag repeated searches of the same plate. Data is retained for 30 days.
Newnan's supervisor-only access model and weekly audit routine offer one concrete example of how a small agency has structured internal controls, at a time when several North Georgia departments are being asked to explain their ALPR safeguards.
Key facts
- Newnan operates five Flock cameras; data is retained for 30 days.
- Search access is limited to sergeants and lieutenants; officers must request queries through a supervisor.
- Blankenship said other North Georgia departments have faced allegations of officers misusing Flock data, resulting in firings and prosecutions.
- Officials did not say whether any Newnan personnel had attempted unauthorized searches before the policy took effect.
- Asked by a councilman about hacking, police said they were unaware of any issue involving their data.
Timeline
- September 14, 2026Newnan limits Flock camera access to police supervisors
- September 14, 2026How Newnan police plan to stop license plate camera abuse
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Newnan limits Flock camera access to police supervisors (FOX 5 Atlanta, September 14, 2026)
- How Newnan police plan to stop license plate camera abuse (Fox 5 Atlanta, September 14, 2026)
- Newnan limits Flock camera access to police supervisors (FOX 5 Atlanta, September 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 September 23, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.