Georgia man says Coweta deputies used Flock cameras to track him after he sued them

A Georgia man is suing Flock Safety and Coweta County officials, alleging deputies used license plate cameras to track him in retaliation for an earlier lawsuit accusing them of excessive force.

Tyler Murkerson filed the proposed class-action lawsuit on Oct. 8 in federal court in Newnan. It names Flock Group, which operates as Flock Safety, Coweta County, Sheriff Lenn Wood and sheriff's deputies as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges deputies searched Murkerson's vehicle information without a legitimate investigative reason while his earlier civil rights case was pending. It also accuses Flock of failing to require safeguards that could prevent improper searches.

According to the complaint, audit records show five searches attributed to the Coweta County Sheriff's Office that spanned more than 6,000 agency camera networks nationwide. The lawsuit describes a 197-day surveillance period involving Murkerson's vehicle.

The only disclosed reasons entered for the searches were "info" and "37," neither of which identified an investigation, according to the lawsuit. Murkerson also alleges his vehicle was placed on an alert list that would notify users when it passed a camera.

Murkerson's earlier lawsuit stemmed from a 2023 encounter in a gas station parking lot. He alleged deputies forced him to the ground, used a Taser on him and arrested him over an alleged seat belt violation. Criminal charges against him were dismissed in June 2023, and the civil case was resolved in 2026, according to his attorneys.

The new lawsuit alleges Murkerson noticed increased deputy activity near his home, business and commute. He says he ended a six-year business relationship servicing a neighboring police department's vehicles because he no longer felt safe.

Murkerson's lawsuit follows a separate internal audit that flagged Coweta Sheriff's Office employee accounts. Three employees resigned, and the sheriff's office requested a Georgia Bureau of Investigation inquiry. 

"We expect every employee with access to these systems to use them in a manner that is lawful, ethical and in accordance with agency policy," the sheriff's office said in its earlier statement about the audit.

Murkerson is seeking damages and court-ordered safeguards, including documented investigative reasons for searches and regular reviews of users' activity. 

CBS News Atlanta has reached out to Flock Safety and the Coweta County Sheriff's Office for comment and will update this story when they respond.