Flock Safety: Audit Trigger System Reveals Police Misconduct – 1 State Stands Out The Most
In recent months, reporting has focused on the Flock Safety Trust & Compliance system, which in April 2026 shifted from manual audits to its continuous monitoring tool, Audit Assistance, and ended up revealing behavior that hadn’t been visible before. After that change, the system began flagging unusual or repeated search activity for administrators, and reports of misconduct, misuse, and even police arrests started appearing more often.
One state has become the most prominent example, reporting more disciplinary actions than any other in the United States.
Flock Safety: Concerning Trend in Georgia Audits
USA Today reported on July 21, 2026, that Sgt. Kabiru Salawu, a DeKalb County deputy with 17 years at the agency, had been fired and arrested after being accused of misusing the Flock license plate reader technology. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said the issue surfaced during an internal review, and the deputy was dismissed as soon as the misconduct was confirmed. Salawu faces felony charges for violating his oath of office and improperly accessing license plate data.
Salawu’s arrest is only one of many cases the USA Today report brings up, pointing to what appears to be a growing pattern in Georgia. Authorities also reported that five Albany Police Department officers were dismissed after allegedly conducting personal searches through Flock Safety records. The police department went to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after an internal audit to request an investigation that exposed the police officers’ misuse.
According to USA Today, there have been a total of 17 arrests of law enforcement for inappropriate use of the Flock Safety technology at the time of their writing. However, this does not take away from the fact that Flock Safety has been a boon to the DeKalb County Police, noting a May 18 shooting resulting in a woman’s death. Flock Safety had claimed its camera network helped investigators identify the vehicle connected to the shooting and track its location, where the suspect was arrested.
Police Use of Flock Safety vs Privacy Advocates
USA Today acknowledged statements made by Flock Safety after the Albany arrests, attesting that the audit proves the system works to balance the scales of power. The Flock Safety release indicated that, based on public reports and investigations, the auditing records were vital to finding the unauthorized use of the technology. While the company found the arrests disappointing, the audit system holds those in power accountable for misconduct that would otherwise go unnoticed.
USA Today reported that critics of Flock Safety argue the surveillance technology imposes a high cost on civilians, even as law enforcement agencies take action against officers accused of misusing it. DeFlock Atlanta was specifically cited, a group that finds these cameras and puts signs under them to warn motorists that they are being recorded and their movements saved in a searchable database. According to DeFlock, these automated license plate readers capture and analyze all vehicles on the road, recording and collecting data that can identify them, down to dents or bumper stickers.
The global DeFlock group argues the technology creates a legal loophole, allowing law enforcement to bypass warrant requirements that govern tracking methods such as cell phone data collection. Flock Safety is the largest license plate reader in the country, going beyond police departments to being part of private businesses and homeowners associations, fed into a centralized database shared across jurisdictions. The exposure of misconduct does not fix the primary problem: warrantless surveillance in communities is a point of no return.
More Fuel On The Fire
Additional allegations have emerged in Bibb County, where WGXA News reported that three former sheriff’s deputies allegedly used Flock Safety technology for personal purposes. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said the former deputies faced multiple charges as of Aug. 10, 2026. The three deputies’ infractions were all separate events and tied to those they had personal interactions with.
Coznavian Stubbs and Toni Cierra Lewis resigned during the investigation; however, Joseph Marquee Callaway waited until after his arrest on Monday. They face charges of violating their oath as public officers, being required to access records for legitimate law enforcement purposes only. Sheriff David Davis made a statement regarding Flock Safety cameras, saying they are a tool for public safety but should not infringe on the public’s privacy.
WGXA News reported that this wasn’t the only recent arrest; a Conyers police dispatcher and five South Georgia police officers were also recently taken into custody for similar abuses of Flock Safety technology.
