Documented Incident

Police MisuseInvestigationsAuditsGeorgia

Former Vidalia, Georgia police sergeant charged with misusing Flock license plate reader system

Event: October 19, 2026 · First reported: October 19, 2026 · 24 sources

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Santonio Wilcher, 37, a former Vidalia Police Department sergeant, on Monday on two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and one count of violation of oath of office. The GBI said preliminary information indicates Wilcher accessed the department's Flock Safety system multiple times for purposes unrelated to law enforcement. The investigation began after the Vidalia Police Department asked the GBI on Oct. 14 to review allegations of employee misuse found during an internal audit of its Flock system. The charges are allegations that have not been tested in court.

Why this matters

The case illustrates how routine internal audits of ALPR search logs can surface alleged misuse, and how agencies and prosecutors respond when they do. Georgia law limits how license plate data may be used, making this a test of those restrictions in practice.

Key facts

Timeline

Sources

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

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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 23, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.