Savannah mayor, police chief respond to alleged misuse of Flock license plate reader
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and Police Chief Lenny Gunther responded Monday to the alleged misuse of the department’s Flock camera system, saying the department felt betrayed after six employees were placed on administrative leave following an internal audit.
The Savannah Police Department said the employees — four officers and two civilians — are accused of running searches unrelated to law enforcement, including searches on personal acquaintances and family members. One officer is also accused of giving an outside agency unauthorized access to the system.
127 flagged searches reviewed
The department’s system flagged 127 questionable searches, according to Gunther. Of those, 34 are the subject of the current investigation. The remaining searches were reviewed by the department and determined to be justified.
Approximately 300 SPD members have access to the Flock camera system. The department said the misuse was detected through the system’s flagging mechanism.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Savannah Police investigating 6 employees over alleged misuse of license plate reader system
We reached out to SPD for information about how searches are flagged, they sent us the following information.
Flock Assist uses behavioral analytics to identify searches that deviate from our officer’s normal usage patterns and routes them for review.
Audit Assist does not determine misconduct. It identifies searches that warrant supervisory review.
Items that can generate an Audit Flag:
- Searches involving officers, employees, or government officials
- Queries matching known law enforcement personnel, agency employees, elected officials, or other sensitive individuals.
- Repeated searches of the same vehicle
- Multiple searches of the same license plate or vehicle over a short period or over an extended timeframe without an apparent investigative need.
- High search volume
- Users conducting an unusually large number of searches compared to their peers or historical activity.
- Searches outside the user’s normal geographic area
- Activity involving locations or jurisdictions unrelated to the user’s typical assignments or authorized area of responsibility.
- After-hours searches
- Queries conducted outside normal duty hours or scheduled shifts, particularly when not associated with an active investigation.
- Manual plate lookups
- Entering specific license plates manually instead of searching from a documented incident or alert, depending on agency policy.
- Searches lacking case documentation
- Searches that are not associated with a case number, CAD event, incident report, or other required justification
- Pattern-of-life searches
- Repeatedly reviewing the historical movements of the same vehicle over time without documented investigative justification.
- Sensitive or celebrity vehicle searches
- Searches involving vehicles associated with public officials, judges, prosecutors, celebrities, or other protected or high-profile individuals.
- Unusual user behavior
- Activity that differs significantly from the user’s historical search patterns or from other users with similar assignments.
Savannah Police Department
Mayor, chief respond
Johnson and Gunther both said the department feels betrayed by the employees’ actions. The city said it is working openly with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine next steps, which could include termination or criminal charges. Officials noted that misuse of Flock cameras constitutes an invasion of privacy.
“To be honest, I’m disappointed. I’m pissed off about it,” Johnson said. “Many of our residents are angry and disappointed. We understand. And we get it. Not because we have this technology, but because a handful of individuals allegedly betrayed the public’s trust that comes with the technology.”
The mayor, city manager and police chief said they believe the technology remains a valuable tool for solving crimes. Officials said they plan to implement weekly audits of Flock camera usage and increase safeguards going forward.
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