The Albany Police Department did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
Flock’s Savannah video centers on an interview with then major of police Robert Gavin, who praised how Flock facilitates data-sharing between different law enforcement agencies.
“We spent a lot of time doing community talks about what we’re gonna use them for, what we’re not gonna use them for,” Gavin says, adding that the overall objective is to “keep everybody safe.”
On July 31, Savannah police mayor Van Johnson wrote in a Facebook post that the allegations involving the six employees had been referred to the GBI to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.
The Savannah Police Department did not respond for comment. The GBI confirmed that it investigated the incidents in Savannah and Albany, but didn’t provide information, noting that the Savannah investigation is “still active.”
According to Johnson, the Savannah Police Department conducted an internal investigation through the Flock Safety Audit Assistance Program, which Flock introduced in April. In a press release announcing the tool, Flock said it “continuously monitors system activity and surfaces search patterns that fall outside an agency’s typical usage.” Savannah police chief Lenny Gunther told a local news outlet that the investigation surfaced 127 inappropriate searches out of the 39,000 it conducted this year.
“Public trust is non-negotiable,” Johnson said in his Facebook statement. “These tools exist to keep our community safe, not for personal or unauthorized use.”
In 2020, Flock posted a video by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the Sandy Springs Police Department’s arrest of a porch pirate. The video did not feature any interviews with Sandy Springs Police Department personnel, but noted that the man was arrested after a Flock camera captured the license plate of the suspect.
About five years later, the Sandy Springs Police Department launched an internal investigation into whether one of its officers had misused Flock’s technology. According to investigators, the officer allegedly ran ALPR searches to support beta testing for Signal 8, a law enforcement software company that employed the officer in a second job.
This officer, the police department claimed, did not cooperate with its investigation and was subsequently terminated.
Meanwhile, Flock showcased the Baytown Police Department in 2025 as part of a brief series highlighting cases where police said Flock was instrumental in apprehending a suspect.
“We use it multiple times every day, and once I log in to my computer, Flock is the first thing I click on,” a Baytown police officer says.
On July 30, Baytown police chief John Stringer announced the resignation of a police officer who had been under investigation for allegedly misusing Flock’s technology. The Baytown Police Department did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
In his video statement, Stringer said that two investigations into the officer’s alleged misuse—one internal, one criminal—remained ongoing.
“Accountability to the fullest extent of the law will be pursued,” Stringer added.
