Documented Incident
Ex-James City County officer charged under Virginia's 2025 ALPR law over Flock searches
Event: March 13, 2026 · First reported: September 30, 2026 · 7 sources
Androu A. Eskandar, 30, a former James City County police officer, has been charged with 13 counts stemming from allegations he used law enforcement databases for personal reasons. According to a Virginia State Police criminal complaint, he ran nine searches in the Virginia Criminal Information Network between March 13 and March 31 on people connected to a woman with whom he had an ongoing relationship, then entered five license plates obtained from those searches into the department's Flock Safety system between March 17 and April 1. He is believed to be the first officer in Hampton Roads charged under a Virginia law that took effect in July 2025 restricting police use of automated license plate readers. The charges are allegations that have not been tested in court.
The case is an early test of whether criminal penalties attached to ALPR misuse statutes are actually enforced, a question facing other states weighing similar guardrails on license plate reader networks.
Key facts
- Charges: eight counts of computer invasion of privacy (five felonies, three misdemeanors) tied to VCIN use, plus five misdemeanor counts of improper Flock use.
- Virginia's July 2025 law makes non-permitted ALPR searches a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail; permitted uses include criminal investigations with reasonable suspicion, missing persons, human trafficking, and warrant or stolen-vehicle alerts.
- The department said it learned of the alleged misuse in March after another employee raised concerns during an internal investigation, then referred the matter to Virginia State Police.
- Eskandar joined the department in April 2023, resigned April 17, turned himself in at the Gloucester County Jail on Monday and was released on a $1,000 unsecured bond.
- A magistrate's bail checklist noted the investigating trooper believed this to be an isolated incident.
Timeline
- September 30, 2026Former James City County officer charged with misusing Flock camera system
- September 30, 2026Former James City County officer charged with misusing Flock camera system
- October 5, 2026Former Virginia officer charged with misusing Flock camera system
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Former James City County officer charged with misusing Flock camera system (The Virginian-Pilot, September 30, 2026)
- Former James City County officer charged with misusing Flock camera system (Daily Press, September 30, 2026)
- Former James City County police officer charged with misusing Flock cameras: JCCPD (WTKR, September 30, 2026)
- Former James City County police officer charged after improper use of automated license plate reader system (13newsnow.com, September 30, 2026)
- Former Virginia officer charged with misusing Flock camera system (The Morning Sun, October 5, 2026)
- Former Virginia officer charged with misusing Flock camera system (The News Herald, October 4, 2026)
- Former officer accused of misusing Flock camera data (FOX 2 Detroit, October 3, 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 6, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.