Six Police Employees Fired at Once After a Review of Who Had Been Running Plate Searches

The Savannah Police Department has terminated six employees, four of them sworn officers and two of them civilians, following an internal review of activity on its Flock Safety licence plate reader system.

According to WTOC, the department conducted a proactive review of system activity and identified searches that appeared to have been run for purposes unrelated to legitimate law enforcement work. The six were placed on administrative leave and subsequently dismissed. For an independent overview, see EFF, automated licence plate readers.

All six cases were referred out. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened an independent criminal investigation, meaning the question is no longer only whether policy was broken but whether a crime was committed.

This one is worth noting for a reason that is easy to miss. Across the documented cases of licence plate reader abuse, the department is rarely the party that notices. Most come to light because the person being followed works it out and reports it. Savannah found these by looking at its own logs, which is what the audit function is supposed to do and usually does not.

The report is at WTOC.

A few principles hold across this category. The right device is the one matched to your concern, your case, and your tolerance for downtime, not the newest machine on the floor. Settings, operator experience, and a test spot for higher-risk case types matter more than the brand name on the platform. Ask which wavelength is being used and why it fits your case before any treatment begins.

Outcomes also depend on realistic staging. Most protocols are a planned series rather than a single visit, and final results are best judged weeks to months after the last session as the case remodels. A careful consultation should set that timeline out in plain terms, name the expected recovery, and explain the plan if a side effect appears.

For independent background on this topic, see EFF, automated licence plate readers, and review the full source list below. This is a summary of published reporting, not original reporting, and criminal charges are allegations until a court decides otherwise.