Documented Incident
Surprise police clear officer of Flock camera misuse, citing browser bookmark as cause of audit anomaly
First reported: August 27, 2026 · 8 sources
The Surprise Police Department announced it found no evidence of misuse by an officer who had been suspended after an audit flagged an "anomaly" in his use of the Flock Safety camera system. Police said the officer had accessed Flock data through a web browser bookmark tied to a specific vehicle, which made repeated logins appear as though he were repeatedly tracking the same car. The earlier audit finding preceded the city's cancellation of its Flock program.
The case shows both the value and the limits of ALPR audit logs: routine access patterns can register as suspicious, while agencies remain the primary interpreters of their own audit data. It also illustrates how a single flagged anomaly can shape a city's decision about whether to keep a surveillance contract.
Key facts
- Surprise Police Chief Evan Becher said there was no evidence of misuse and credited the officer's cooperation during the investigation.
- Police attributed the audit anomaly to a browser bookmark attached to a particular vehicle that was used each time the officer logged in.
- The officer had been suspended after the audit flagged the irregularity; the department says it disclosed the finding to the public at the time.
- The city canceled its Flock Safety program after the anomaly was identified.
Timeline
- August 27, 2026Surprise officer cleared of Flock camera misuse
- August 27, 2026Flock wasn't misused by Surprise police officer, probe finds
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Surprise officer cleared of Flock camera misuse (yourvalley.net, August 27, 2026)
- Surprise Police officer cleared in license plate reader system review (AOL.com, August 27, 2026)
- Surprise officer cleared of misusing license plate readers (abc15.com, August 27, 2026)
- Surprise Police officer cleared in license plate reader system review (Yahoo, August 26, 2026)
- Surprise Police officer cleared in license plate reader system review (fox10phoenix.com, August 27, 2026)
- Surprise officer cleared in license plate reader misuse investigation (AZ Family, August 26, 2026)
- Surprise officer cleared in license plate reader misuse investigation (KOLD, August 26, 2026)
- Flock wasn't misused by Surprise police officer, probe finds (KTAR News 92.3 FM, August 27, 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 August 30, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.