Georgia sheriff criticizes Flock after audit ends with deputies fired: "Failed from the beginning"

The Hall County Sheriff has some harsh words for Flock Safety after finishing a widespread audit into the alleged misuse of its license plate reader system.

The Georgia law enforcement agency finished its audit on Friday night, saying that three employees have been fired and four resigned while under investigation.

Officials say the final resignation happened on Friday. Brandon Sanders is accused of using the Flock system multiple times while off duty for searches not authorized by the sheriff's office. Sanders had been employed by the Hall County Sheriff's Office since December 2021.

Overall, the Hall County Sheriff's Office said its Internal Affairs Unit reviewed 758 Flock searches, of which 85 were flagged as suspicious in nature.

In a statement after the audit was finished, Sheriff Gerald Couch criticized the Atlanta-based company for not doing more to stop potential misuse and taking time to implement significant audit tools.

"As a profession, law enforcement failed, and as a company, Flock failed from the beginning. If your company name has the word safety in it, your products should include safeguards. From the outset, Flock did not provide audit tools for agencies and only recently introduced them," Couch said. "Too many officers across the country and here at home used the time without oversight to misuse the system."

The sheriff says, despite criticisms and the potential for misuse, the Flock system can be beneficial in investigations, including one recent instance where it helped investigators find a suspect in a murder case.

"I believe we cannot not discount the positive outcomes Flock can help deliver; however, we must put our own guardrails in place to ensure we're using it correctly," Couch said.

Following the audit, the agency says that it has updated its policies, requiring every vehicle search to be tied to a specific criminal case and offense before it can be submitted. The sheriff's office says it has also restricted access to the system from 124 to 24 people, who will undergo specialized training. The system will also implement an automatic review for any search activities it deems abnormal.

Couch also pointed to his agency's Transparency Portal that gives more details about their use of Flock.

Despite recent pushes to remove Flock cameras in other parts of Georgia and around the country, Couch said that the county does not plan to stop using the system.

"The answer to potential misuse isn't always eliminating the tool," he said. "Sometimes it's making sure the people entrusted with it are using it correctly and holding them accountable when they don't."