Chandler police officer admits to misusing Flock camera system and resigns: PD

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Chandler Police say a now-former officer of the department has admitted to misusing the city's Flock automated license plate reader.

The backstory:

On Aug. 7, the City of Chandler announced they will end their use of the 40 Flock cameras that were installed across the city, after an internal investigation was launched into potential misuse of the technology.

At the time, police chief Bryan Chapman declined to go into specifics, citing the ongoing investigation. He did say at the time, however, that no one’s privacy has been compromised as part of the potential misuse. 

Dig deeper:

In a statement released on the afternoon of Aug. 13, officials with the department said they became aware on Aug. 6 of "an unusual usage of the Flock system following a routine scheduled audit."

"The officer whose account was linked to the unusual usage was questioned and admitted to utilizing the technology in an effort to locate an older family member with previous health concerns," read a portion of the statement.

Police said the officer was "immediately placed on administrative leave and later submitted their resignation before a formal investigation could take place."

Earlier on Aug. 13, two sources with the City of Chandler, including City Councilmember OD Harris, informed us of the officer's decision to resign.

Big picture view:

Chandler is not the only Valley city recently to announce a problem with their automated license plate reader (ALPR) system.

On Aug. 10, Apache Junction Police announced that one of their officers resigned after using license plate readers improperly. The now-former officer, identified as Joshua McDaniel, and police chief Michael Pooley said they learned that McDaniel used the technology to find his wife.

A day later, on Aug. 11, Tempe Police announced that they will end license plate reader data sharing with Flock. Officials with the East Valley city said their police department has "never used Flock Safety data for any purpose other than law enforcement," and that multiple audits have not found misuse.

On Aug. 12, Surprise announced their decision to suspend their use of ALPR technology, after a recent routine audit "identified an anomaly in the use of the system."

"The City has launched an investigation into a potential violation of its ALPR policy, and a Surprise Police officer has been placed on administrative leave until the investigation can be completed," read a portion of the statement.

What we don't know:

Chandler Police officials have declined to identify the officer by name.

What's next:

Chandler Police official said "due to the officer’s resignation, we consider this matter to be closed."

We have requested the internal review records involving the officer.

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