--- title: "Mayor Livid When Even More Police Are Arrested for Using Flock Database Inappropriately" description: "Three more police officers have been arrested after using Flock's ALPR network for non-law enforcement purposes." date: "2026-08-26" modified: "2026-08-26" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/mayor-livid-police-flock-alpr-abuse-savannah" categories: - "Future Society" - "Privacy" --- # Mayor Livid When Even More Police Are Arrested for Using Flock Database Inappropriately ![Traffic flows past an Axon brand automatic license plate reader (ALPR) camera.]() *Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images* Three more police officers have been arrested after using Automatic License Plate Readers supplied by the surveillance company Flock for non-law enforcement purposes. In Savannah, Georgia, four police department workers were hauled into custody last Friday, when an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation uncovered they'd been abusing their city's Flock system to track personal acquaintances and family members, [*WTOC* reported](). Three of them were active police officers, while one of them was employed as a community service specialist. Two more employees had been fired weeks ago for similar offenses, *WTOC* notes, though they haven't been arrested, and it's not clear if an investigation is ongoing. The incident has become a [huge scandal]() for Savannah over the past few weeks, turning the historic Georgia city into a poster child for police abuse of AI-powered surveillance. Local officials aren't happy, to put it lightly. "To be totally honest, I'm disappointed," Savannah mayor Van Johnson said, calling it a sad and sobering day for the city. "I'm p\*ssed off about it." "We entrusted these individuals with advanced technology — and even more importantly — with the public's trust," Johnson told *WTOC*. "Nobody is above the law, and everyone trusted with public confidence is accountable." It remains to be seen what exactly these four were using the Flock system for, but the fact that they were arrested suggests a major breach of trust. According to the Institute for Justice [Database of ALPR Abuse](), well over 170 incidents of ALPR misuse have been recorded in the US so far. The offenses range from non-law enforcement uses like [stalking ex-partners]() to abusive policing tactics like aggressively following people [across state lines]() to justify traffic stops. **More on Flock:** *[Grand Jury Declines to Indict Man Caught on Camera Destroying Flock Pole]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()