Full Breakdown
Savannah Police Place Six Employees on Leave Over Alleged Misuse of Flock License-Plate Reader
8/4/2026, 6:07:46 AM
Audit Findings and Scope
An internal audit by the Savannah Police Department (SPD) flagged 127 of roughly 39,000 searches made with the department’s Flock camera system this year. Officers reviewed each alert and identified 34 searches as “unjustified,” leading to the discovery that four officers and two civilian staff had conducted searches unrelated to law-enforcement duties, including inquiries about personal acquaintances and family members. One officer is also alleged to have granted an outside, non-law-enforcement agency unauthorized access to the system.
Official Reactions
Mayor Van Johnson expressed disappointment, emphasizing that the technology’s public-safety benefits outweigh the misconduct of a few staff members. Police Chief Lenny B. Gunther stressed that misuse “will not be tolerated” and highlighted the department’s responsibility to use investigative tools lawfully and ethically. City Manager Jay Melder noted that breaches of public trust—whether “big” or “small knucklehead”—damage community confidence. The six employees have been placed on administrative leave, and their cases have been referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an independent criminal investigation. SPD announced weekly audits of the Flock system to detect irregular activity earlier.
Planned Oversight Measures
Chief Gunther said a formal policy governing Flock usage will be drafted, and the audit-assist tool will conduct weekly inspections moving forward. The department’s spokesperson reiterated that disciplinary actions could include termination or criminal charges, depending on the investigation’s outcome.
Verbatim Quotes
- “To be honest I’m disappointed, I’m totally pissed off about it,” — Van Johnson, cameras savannah mayor
- “Without that you have 17, 18, 19 year olds with guns out here on these streets,” — Van Johnson, cameras savannah mayor
- “They manually went through every single alert, and it came to the potential misuse by those six staff members,” — Lenny Gunther, police chief
- “It doesn’t help that conversation when members of our team breach that public trust, whether it’s a big breach or a small knucklehead breach,” — Jay Melder, city manager
- “Given the sheer numbers of this, the benefit to the technology, leveraging the technology, far outweigh the few individuals who did not make the right choices,” — Van Johnson, cameras savannah mayor
- “Misuse of law enforcement tools and technology by SPD staff will not be tolerated,” — Savannah Police Chief Lenny
These statements capture the officials’ disappointment, the perceived safety impact of the technology, the audit process, concerns about public trust, the weighing of benefits against misconduct, and the department’s zero-tolerance stance on misuse.
