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DeKalb County Leaders Vote on Flock License Plate Camera Oversight
DeKalb County commissioners are set to vote Tuesday morning on a proposal by Commissioner Ted Terry to create independent civilian oversight and auditing of the county's Flock license plate reader network, amid growing statewide scrutiny of police misuse of the surveillance database.
DeKalb County officials are scheduled to vote Tuesday morning on a proposal that would establish independent civilian oversight and auditing of the county's Flock Safety license plate reader network, a surveillance system that has come under increasing scrutiny across Georgia.
The measure, introduced by Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry, would create a layer of civilian review over the automated camera system that records and logs vehicle license plates. The meeting is set for 9 a.m.
The proposal comes as a growing number of Georgia police officers have been fired, arrested or removed from duty over allegations they misused the Flock database for personal reasons, including accusations of tracking romantic partners and acquaintances. With no federal oversight in place, local officials have raised concerns about potential abuses of the system.
An investigation previously uncovered at least 19 cases in a single year in which Georgia officers faced disciplinary action or criminal charges for running improper personal searches through Flock Safety's database, including efforts to track ex-partners. That reporting helped prompt a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing in September examining civil liberties violations and transparency gaps in nationwide surveillance networks.
Flock maintains that every search is logged and audited. But public records advocates have raised alarms after the company altered its audit logs to remove officer names and strip license plate numbers from search histories, making it harder for victims to confirm when their vehicles were searched.
The backlash has extended to city halls and residential neighborhoods. Homeowners associations and local leaders have questioned the balance between community safety and personal privacy, and investigative reports revealed that several local agencies installed cameras without explicit city council approval. More than 250 municipalities across the country have moved to terminate or pause their contracts with the surveillance provider.
In July, Barrow County authorities responded after vandals damaged multiple Flock cameras, including cutting down a solar power panel.
The DeKalb vote will be closely watched as one of the first local efforts in the region to impose civilian oversight on the technology. Supporters of the proposal argue that independent auditing is necessary to protect residents' civil liberties and ensure the system is used only for legitimate law enforcement purposes. Critics of the cameras say the lack of transparency around search histories has eroded public trust.
The meeting is open to the public and is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday.