Officer allegedly used Flock license plate cameras to track boyfriend's ex-wife: Police chief
A North Carolina police officer has been arrested for allegedly using Flock license plate readers to track her boyfriend's ex-wife, according to police, as use of the Flock camera system across the U.S. has come under fire.
The Mooresville Police Department was conducting an audit of its Flock license plate reader system when it discovered officer Elizabeth Snowman allegedly accessed the system 31 times for personal use, Mooresville Police Chief Ron Campurciani said.
"She accessed the computers, the LPR [license plate reader] cameras, to find information and track her boyfriend's ex-wife," Campurciani said at a news conference Wednesday.
"At least twice she accessed these cameras while she was off-duty," the chief added.
Snowman, 36, was arrested and charged Wednesday with accessing computers, police said.
"This is frustrating and aggravating," the chief said.
Campurciani said "officers have to put in the reason for why they're using the Flock cameras, why they are tracking this vehicle," and said Snowman allegedly listed most of the 31 trackings as motor vehicle infractions.
Campurciani added that the department is looking at 10 other potential misuse cases and said three "look like they could be problematic."
Flock said in a statement, "Any misuse is unacceptable and responsible technology should help bring it to light."
"When public safety technology is used the right way, it helps solve serious crimes and protect communities. When it is misused, Flock's Audit Assistance helps expose it," Flock said.
Snowman is due in court on Aug. 27.
Flock cameras -- motion-activated cameras that do not record continuous video but instead capture specific car information, like license plates, car types and dates -- have come under fire across the U.S. over data privacy concerns.
Law enforcement agencies are warning of Flock camera destruction, according to an intelligence bulletin reviewed by ABC News. Activists are calling Aug. 16 to Aug. 22 the National Week of Action Against ALPRs [automatic license plate readers] and law enforcement is urged to step up patrols around cameras and review any prior vandalism.
In the Dallas area, dozens of Flock cameras have been vandalized, ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA reported on Wednesday.
In Utah, the Garfield County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that a Flock camera was vandalized within days of being installed.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Office stressed the cameras' benefits, saying they can help find missing and endangered persons and identify cars involved in serious crimes.
The sheriff's office said it "takes the privacy of our community seriously" and stressed that "deputies cannot search the system out of curiosity or for personal reasons."
"Every search must be conducted for a legitimate law enforcement purpose and be associated with a valid case number or documented incident. The system maintains an audit trail of all searches, providing accountability and ensuring the technology is used appropriately," the department said.
Flock said in a statement, "People have every right to make their voices heard, but criminal acts should never be part of that process. Damaging public safety equipment ultimately hurts the very communities this technology is there to help protect."
"Our technology helped investigators locate the Brown University mass shooting suspect, even after he changed license plates," Flock said. "... When a camera is taken offline, an investigative lead can disappear, and a time-sensitive alert tied to an AMBER Alert, a missing-person case, or a violent crime suspect on the move may never reach the officers who need it."
Chief Campurciani praised the cameras, calling them a "game-changer" ... "when used correctly."
"The benefits, I believe, outweigh the issues," he said.
Going forward, Campurciani said Mooresville police officers will be required to attach a case number to show why they are using the cameras.
ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
