Savannah city council members and ACLU predict policy changes after Flock technology misuse

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - After six Savannah Police Department employees were fired for misusing Flock camera technology, city leaders and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are pushing for changes to how the system is monitored and governed.

Four officers and two civilian employees had been placed on administrative leave after SPD’s internal investigation began July 27. Investigators found employees were running searches on personal acquaintances and family members. One employee gave someone outside of law enforcement access to SPD’s Flock system. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is continuing its investigation.

How easy is access?

Savannah District 6 Alderman Kurtis Purtee is a policeman and member of the Georgia Municipal Association.

When asked how easy it is for an officer to look up a plate or create a “hot list” without a case file, Purtee said: “It’s pretty easy.”

He said stricter controls are needed going forward.

“I think frequent audits, I think stringent policy and procedure from both the city and the police department is going to be key in this,” Purtee said.

ACLU introduces oversight ordinance

Christopher Bruce, deputy executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, said surveillance technology will only expand.

“This is not going away. If anything, surveillance technology is going to get wider, bigger, and in different ways,” Bruce said.

The ACLU has introduced an ordinance called CCOPS — Community Control of Police Surveillance — which has been implemented in 26 municipalities. Bruce said those cities have maintained law enforcement capabilities while adding privacy protections.

“And guess what, they still have law enforcement, they still are solving crime, they just have guardrails to protect your right to privacy and increased public safety,” Bruce said.

Path forward

While Purtee said CCOPS may not be the statewide answer, he said the Georgia Municipal Association can work toward one.

“I think it’s worth continually investing into the technology but it’s also worth it to invest in the safeguards that help protect not only the people but that technology as well,” Purtee said.

Savannah District 2 Alderman Detric Leggett said accountability should be proactive, not reactive. He said the city’s real-time crime center could be used to flag Flock searches as they happen, rather than waiting for an audit.

“There’s all this happening over the country, we just hate for Savannah to have the black eye that ‘it happened here’, but being that it happened here, we can catch it early and make changes to the policy as needed,” Leggett said.

The GBI investigation into the misuse remains ongoing.