Documented Incident
Two Pinellas County deputies arrested for alleged ALPR misuse after TCPalm inquiry
Event: September 30, 2026 · First reported: September 30, 2026 · 4 sources
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office announced Sept. 30, 2026 that it arrested deputies Karl Gwynne, 57, and Travis Stanton, 33, on charges tied to misusing police computer systems, including automated license plate reader databases. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Gwynne searched one woman's plate 300 times between January 2025 and July 2026, 207 of them while off duty, while Stanton allegedly ran the plate of a 17-year-old girl he pursued romantically. The agency said its internal review began after a TCPalm-USA TODAY reporter asked on Aug. 20 about abnormal Flock Safety searches, and it acknowledged Sept. 30 that the inquiry led it to identify misuse. The charges are allegations that have not been resolved in court.
The case illustrates how ALPR misuse can go undetected by an agency's own audits until outside journalists examine search logs, and it raises questions about shared or generic accounts that obscure which officer ran a query.
Key facts
- Gwynne was charged with four counts of misusing computer systems and one count of official misconduct; Stanton faces charges of unlawfully accessing a computer network and official misconduct.
- A Pinellas account labeled 'S ACC' — described by the agency as a shared 'Service Account' spanning Flock, Vigilant Solutions and Axon — searched two plates a combined 670 times between February and September 2025, with each reason logged as 'FLOCK API SEARCH.'
- A sheriff's spokesperson initially told TCPalm on Sept. 21 that all queries were valid; the agency reversed course Sept. 30, saying the inquiry revealed misuse.
- TCPalm and USA TODAY analyzed more than 75 million Flock searches across over 6,300 agencies spanning 3½ years; the outlets report 26 law enforcement officials have been placed on leave, fired or arrested following the August investigation.
- Other Florida cases cited include fired Sarasota officer Cory Waiters, former Fort Pierce officer Josepher Crutchfield, Indian River County Sgt. John Finnegan (paid leave, under investigation) and Vero Beach Officer Chayse Allen Hatfield (administrative leave).
Timeline
- September 30, 2026Two Florida deputies arrested after TCPalm's query of Flock, ALPR use
- September 30, 2026Two Florida deputies arrested for Flock, ALPR abuse after TCPalm query
- October 1, 20262 Pinellas deputies arrested for tracking people they were interested in, sheriff says
- October 1, 2026Pinellas County sheriff defends license plate readers after announcing arrests of officers who abused license plate readers
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Two Florida deputies arrested after TCPalm's query of Flock, ALPR use (Treasure Coast News, September 30, 2026)
- Two Florida deputies arrested for Flock, ALPR abuse after TCPalm query (Yahoo, September 30, 2026)
- 2 Pinellas deputies arrested for tracking people they were interested in, sheriff says (Tampa Bay Times, October 1, 2026)
- Pinellas County sheriff defends license plate readers after announcing arrests of officers who abused license plate readers (Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, October 1, 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 8, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.