Albany investigator arrested for allegedly using Flock camera to track ex-girlfriend: Sheriff
A longtime member of the Albany, New York, Sheriff's Office was arrested Wednesday after investigators said they discovered she allegedly used Flock cameras to track the license plates of her ex-girlfriend and other acquaintances.
Laurie Moore, 47, a senior investigator with the sheriff's office, was charged with two misdemeanors, second-degree falsifying business records and official misconduct, after investigators say they found she tracked her former girlfriend's plate nearly 3,000 times and four others, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said during a news conference Wednesday.
Apple said the arrest was "a gut punch," because Moore was a 13-year veteran with his office and "an outstanding investigator."
"The public places tremendous trust in law enforcement and in our ability to use these tools responsibly. What happened here is a breach of that trust, and for that I am truly sorry," he said.
Apple said his office received a tip Friday from an outside source that Moore was using a Flock camera to track a former acquaintance, and an internal investigation began immediately.
The probe discovered that she allegedly used the cameras to track the former girlfriend's plate and four other acquaintances for over a year, he said. None of the alleged searches were done as part of any police investigation, according to Apple.
Apple said the department's protocol requires all investigators to state why they used the Flock cameras to track a license plate.
"Everything in there needs to be accountable. It has to have a case number, a reason why. There were 'reasons why' [that] she was putting in there, but they were not true, they were not accurate reasons," he said.
Moore has been suspended indefinitely pending the investigation and another command staff member was placed on administrative leave, according to Apple. He did not provide details about the other member placed on leave.
Attorney information for Moore was not immediately available. She was ordered to appear in court on Sept. 24, according to the sheriff's office.
Apple said his office has changed the protocol for Flock camera use by prohibiting deputies from accessing the technology and requiring more frequent audits to ensure no one misuses it.
Moore's arrest comes amid increased calls for police offices to end the use of Flock cameras and other license plate reading technology following a growing number of reports of law enforcement members using the tech for illicit purposes.
Apple and Albany District Attorney Lee Kindlon defended their use of Flock cameras, contending that it has been crucial to solving major crimes in the city.
"It's a necessary tool. We need this tool to combat evil," he said.
