Documented Incident
Amarillo ex-officer charged with 78 counts among 13 Texas ALPR misuse cases catalogued by IJ
First reported: September 3, 2026 · 1 source
A former Amarillo police officer identified as Eder faces 78 counts of tampering with a government record in a case connected to use of Flock automated license plate reader systems; he turned himself in on the warrant on Sept. 1, 2026, was released on $4,500 bond, and the case remains pending in Potter County. NewsChannel 10 reported the case is one of 13 Texas incidents logged in a searchable database the Institute for Justice has built from media reports and public records to track alleged ALPR abuse. The database sorts incidents into categories including stalking, error, non-law-enforcement use, and other misuse such as policy violations and unauthorized data sharing. Amarillo is described as the only city in the Texas Panhandle and West Texas region with an open Flock abuse case.
The clustering of more than a dozen Texas cases in roughly a year raises questions about whether audit logs, access controls, and supervisory review of ALPR searches are catching misuse before it accumulates into thousands of queries.
Key facts
- Eder, a former Amarillo officer, is charged with 78 counts of tampering with a government record; he surrendered Sept. 1, 2026, posted $4,500 bond, and the case is unresolved in Potter County.
- The Institute for Justice database lists 13 Texas ALPR abuse incidents drawn from media reports and public records.
- In Lufkin, an officer was arrested and indicted in August 2026 on 100 felony counts, accused of running more than 10,000 searches on an ex-girlfriend and her associates; the department disabled its Flock cameras and a second officer was placed on administrative leave.
- Pflugerville officials shut off their Flock cameras and cancelled the contract in August 2026 after a resident's records request indicated hundreds of outside agencies had unauthorized access to city Flock data.
- Other reported cases include a Deer Park officer suspended 10 days for 165 non-law-enforcement searches of one plate, a Pasadena sergeant who resigned after an investigation found he tracked a female officer, and a Katy officer fired and indicted over roughly 2,000 searches of a former partner in 11 months.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Former Amarillo officer among dozens of FLOCK misuse cases in Texas (NewsChannel 10, September 3, 2026)
More from Texas
Everything we have documented in Texas, or search every Texas article in the archive.
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 6, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.