Bryan County sheriff addresses Flock Safety camera concerns in open letter

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Bryan County Sheriff Mark Crowe is addressing concerns over the use of Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers, following reports of the technology being misused by law enforcement agencies across the country.

In an open letter to the community, Crowe said the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office entered into a contract with Flock Safety around four years ago, when its first cameras were deployed.

Review finds no misuse

Crowe said the office completed a review in July 2026 based on an audit provided by Flock Safety. The audit flagged 23 instances in which the same tag had been searched more than once.

Crowe said each of those instances was reviewed and matched to a legitimate, previously existing case number. He said no misuse of the system by Sheriff’s Office personnel was identified.

Crowe said the repetitive searches had to be cleared in the system archive by an administrator, who added the case number, reason for the search and any necessary comments. He said all 23 instances were cleared.

Policy changes and restricted access

Crowe said the office has established an updated policy requiring every vehicle search to be tied to a specific case and offense type. He said the reason for a search must be of a selected criminal nature.

The office has also restricted access to the system, reducing the number of users from 79 to 16, according to Crowe. He said those users are limited to command staff, patrol lieutenants and above, and members of the Investigations Division.

Crowe said any current user or anyone requesting access must complete a series of courses, including Vehicle Manager 8.0 Part 1 and Part 2, Vehicle Manager Hot Lists, Vehicle Manager Alerts, Assist in Vehicle Manager, Car Detector and Target Alert Service.

Transparency portal planned

Crowe said the office has increased its transparency and that a Transparency Portal will be open to the public soon.

Crowe said investigators have solved several cases using the system, including one instance in which it helped lead investigators to murder suspects who fled the state and were arrested hundreds of miles away. He said the system has also helped locate missing juveniles and vulnerable adults.

“Technology like this is only as trustworthy as the people entrusted to use it,” Crowe said. “Those who misuse it must be held accountable, regardless of their position, and that accountability includes me as sheriff.”

Crowe said the Sheriff’s Office will continue to hold accountable anyone who violates the system, regardless of position.