Documented Incident
Federal class action alleges Flock left multi-factor authentication optional as deputies ran thousands of plate searches
Event: August 25, 2025 · First reported: September 8, 2026 · 2 sources
A federal class-action complaint, Schulte v. Flock Group Inc., was filed August 25 in the Northern District of Georgia by Georgia resident Grace Schulte, seeking to represent people whose plates were captured by Flock's network of more than 120,000 cameras since January 1, 2024. The complaint alleges a former Richmond County, Georgia sheriff's deputy searched one woman's plate 1,639 times and that three colleagues each ran more than 100 searches, none requiring a warrant. It also alleges a fired Effingham County Sheriff's Office employee kept a working login and ran more than 60 unauthorized searches over three weeks, and that multi-factor authentication remained an optional setting departments could decline until this August. Flock has since made MFA mandatory for all customers, shortened its default data retention window, and added audit alerts; the allegations have not been tested in court.
The suit shifts the question from individual officer misconduct to whether a vendor's default configuration choices created the conditions for misuse across thousands of agencies, a framing that could shape how other communities negotiate ALPR contracts and security requirements.
Key facts
- Complaint filed August 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia; proposed class covers plates captured since January 1, 2024 across Flock's 120,000-plus cameras in 49 states.
- The filing cites a Washington Post investigation finding Flock's system was involved in 46 of roughly 50 nationwide cases of officers charged with or accused of ALPR misuse, with 26 allegedly involving tracking of partners, ex-partners, or romantic interests.
- The complaint alleges Flock employees viewed customer-integrated camera feeds aimed at sensitive sites, including a children's gymnastics room and a Jewish community center, during an internal demonstration.
- An Illinois state audit reportedly found Flock's system allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection access to Illinois plate data despite a state law restricting such sharing.
- In November 2025, Senators Ron Wyden and Raja Krishnamoorthi asked the FTC to investigate Flock's cybersecurity practices; the article reports the request went largely unanswered.
- Separately, a DeKalb County, Georgia sheriff's sergeant was charged with a felony this summer over alleged misuse of that county's Flock system; charges are allegations, not convictions.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- A Deputy Searched One Woman's License Plate 1,639 Times. Flock Safety's Fix Was a Checkbox Nobody Had to Click. (The Auto Wire, September 8, 2026)
- A Deputy Searched One Woman's License Plate 1,639 Times. Flock Safety's Fix Was a Checkbox Nobody Had to Click. (Yahoo, September 8, 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 11, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.