Documented Incident

Police MisuseInvestigationsAuditsOhio

Sharonville, Ohio police lieutenant indicted over 29 alleged personal Flock searches

First reported: October 13, 2026 · 43 sources

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich announced the indictment of Sharonville Police Lt. Walter Cordes, 48, on a felony charge of unauthorized use of computer, cable or telecommunication property. Prosecutors allege Cordes ran 29 searches of the Flock automated license plate reader system to learn the whereabouts of one person for personal reasons, in conduct reported to span December 2024 to April 2026. According to Pillich, Cordes acknowledged the searches during a departmental audit of the system; Police Chief Jim Nesbit said Cordes was then placed on administrative leave and cut off from department systems, and the case was referred to an outside agency for independent investigation. Cordes has not been convicted and faces up to a year of incarceration if found guilty.

Why this matters

The case illustrates both how ALPR systems can be queried for non-law-enforcement purposes and how routine audits can surface such searches — a question other communities weigh when deciding what logging, review and penalty structures to require.

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 October 19, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.