Georgia officer resigned after alleged misuse of Flock plate reader

In short: Records reviewed by WIRED say an Alpharetta, Georgia police officer used a license plate tracking system to look up an ex and another officer dozens of times, and later resigned.

What happened

Documents obtained through a public records request describe how Dustin Bozzo, a patrolman in Alpharetta, Georgia, allegedly used Flock Safety’s automatic license plate reader system 56 times from March to May to search for a former romantic partner’s license plate. An automatic license plate reader is a network of cameras that can log cars as they pass by, like a citywide notebook of where certain plates were seen.

The records say that when Bozzo noticed her car often appeared near another officer’s car, he also searched for that officer’s vehicle 29 times in the same period. The report also says Bozzo searched the license plate of the woman’s uncle 18 times after learning she was borrowing his car.

According to the internal report, Flock sometimes asked Bozzo to pick a reason for the search. Investigators said he often selected “Wanted Person” or “Traffic Infraction.” Bozzo told investigators that was “just a quick keystroke,” the report says.

Alpharetta police said Bozzo was placed on paid leave on July 20 and resigned on August 5 after an internal investigation. The department told WIRED an ongoing criminal investigation is underway.

Why it matters

Many police departments use tools like Flock to find stolen cars or suspects. But these records show how the same tool can be used for personal reasons, which can feel like being followed using a system meant for public safety.

Source: Wired