Internal Audits Expose Misuse of License Plate Readers by Georgia Officers
A series of internal audits across multiple Georgia police departments has uncovered systemic misuse of automated license plate recognition (LPR) technology by sworn officers. In more than five districts, investigators confirmed that personnel exploited the surveillance network to track former romantic partners, personal acquaintances, and colleagues without any legitimate law enforcement purpose.
A High-Profile Case Raises Public Concern
One particularly severe incident centered on former police chief Michael Steffman, who was found to have used his department’s LPR system to stalk and harass several individuals. Steffman resigned abruptly and was taken into custody by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation shortly thereafter. His arrest occurred in November 2025, a period when public scrutiny of LPR deployments was intensifying, which led critics to characterize the action as a response to mounting civic pressure rather than an internally initiated investigation.
The Expanding Reach of Shared Surveillance Networks
Since that case, numerous additional departments have identified related patterns of internal data abuse. While agencies have adopted a limited set of analytical tools to assist with formal investigations, the dominant technology provider, Flock, has maintained a largely non-interventionist stance. The company has instead continued an aggressive expansion strategy, prioritizing rapid client acquisition across the state.
Concerns are compounded by the fact that access to the camera network extends well beyond police agencies. Flock devices are routinely installed for private businesses, homeowners' associations, and shopping centers. These cameras carry identical technical capabilities to police-issued LPR units, feed into a common network, and present the same risks and ambiguities regarding how the collected vehicle movement data can be used. Observers note that the parallel deployment in public and private spaces creates a largely unregulated stream of location information with unclear oversight boundaries.