Washington Post analysis of public Flock search logs prompts probes of officers in three cities

First reported: August 24, 2026 · 3 sources

A Washington Post investigation published August 24, 2026 reported that journalists used publicly released Flock search logs, aggregated on the website Have I Been Flocked, to identify officers in Indianapolis, Haines City (Florida) and Highland Heights (Ohio) whose license-plate search patterns appeared irregular. All three departments told the Post they did not routinely audit officers' Flock use; each opened an investigation after being contacted. The Post reported at least 69 police officials nationwide have been accused, charged with or convicted of misusing Flock or other plate readers, with outside parties first flagging the potential misuse in at least 15 of those cases.

Why this matters

The reporting indicates that misuse of automated license-plate reader systems is often surfaced by journalists, activists or victims rather than by the agencies operating the cameras, raising questions about whether internal audit practices keep pace with deployment. It also illustrates how public records and log transparency function as a de facto oversight mechanism in jurisdictions without statutory audit requirements.

Key facts

An Indianapolis officer allegedly ran 3,759 searches over 10 months on vehicles linked to his wife and two acquaintances; he was suspended without pay, faces administrative and criminal investigations, and the chief is recommending termination. He has not been charged and did not respond to the Post.
Haines City officer Christopher Goodson, 31, was arrested and charged August 11 with two felonies tied to misuse of official computers and falsifying records after nearly two years of searches on his wife's plate, per a police affidavit; he did not respond to requests for comment.
In Highland Heights, Ohio, the department had no Flock policy and had conducted no audits until the Post's inquiry about an officer who appeared to search five plates more than 1,000 times each; her access was removed pending investigation.
Thirteen states require agencies to audit license-plate reader use. Flock said its Audit Assistance tool, used by about a third of its roughly 7,000 law enforcement customers, will become the default in coming months.
Savannah, Georgia said it terminated four officers and two civilian employees after enabling Audit Assistance, and plans weekly audits; Joplin, Missouri began monthly audits after an activist flagged an officer's 900-plus searches on two plates.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them. (The Oakland Press, August 24, 2026)
Police departments werent looking for officers abusing Flock . We did it for them . – The News Herald (thenewsherald.com, August 24, 2026)
Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them. (The Morning Sun, August 24, 2026)

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 August 24, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.