The Savannah Police Department (SPD) has fired four sworn officers and two civilian employees following an internal investigation into their alleged misuse of the department’s Flock Safety License Plate Reader system.
The six employees were initially placed on paid administrative leave after a review of Flock system activity identified searches that appeared to have been conducted for reasons unrelated to legitimate law enforcement activity, according to SPD.
SPD's administrative investigation found that all six employees "violated department policies governing the authorized use of law enforcement technology and departmental resources."
The cases remain under an independent criminal investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Details
related to the individual cases, such as the names of the terminated employees, cannot be released, SPD stated, citing the ongoing GBI investigation.
The investigation identified searches involving the employees’ personal acquaintances and family members, according to SPD. In one instance, an officer allegedly provided access to the department’s Flock system to personnel from an outside law enforcement agency.
How the alleged misuse was discovered
SPD began its internal investigation July 27 and referred all six cases to the GBI for criminal review.
The activity was identified through SPD’s auditing and oversight of its Flock system, including Flock Safety’s Audit Assist program, which became available to the department in April.
SPD previously said that a monthly internal audit had flagged 127 irregular searches among 39,590 searches conducted by SPD personnel since January. During that same period, the department’s 103 Flock license plate readers generated more than 1.4 million hits.
Flock cameras automatically capture vehicle license plates and other identifying information, which can be compared with law enforcement databases. When a plate matches information sought by law enforcement, the system can generate a hit for investigators.
Approximately 300 SPD employees have access to the department’s Flock database, according to information previously provided by the department.
Employees access the system using individualized login credentials and two-factor authentication, SPD Assistant Chief of Police Robert Gavin said. Each search requires the user to provide a reason, and the system electronically records information including the user, date, time and stated reason for the search.
The system's audit capabilities allowed SPD to identify searches that appeared inconsistent with legitimate law enforcement activity.
SPD increases oversight
Following the investigation, SPD said it has strengthened its oversight of the Flock system. The department's Office of Professional Standards will now conduct recurring weekly audits, rather than monthly reviews, to identify irregular or potentially unauthorized activity requiring further investigation.
“Let this be a clear statement to everybody in our organization: improper misuse of any government tool that breaches public trust will be dealt with severely,” Savannah City Manager Jay Melder said previously.
Police Chief Lenny Gunther also previously acknowledged that the department's use of surveillance technology requires public trust.
“Trust isn’t proven when nothing goes wrong. Trust is built by how you respond when someone breaks the rules and fractures public trust and confidence,” Gunther said.
Ansley Franco is a reporter with the Savannah Morning News, covering public safety and general assignments. You can reach her at AFranco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Six Savannah Police employees fired for Flock system misuse
