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Deputy Charged After Flock Camera Misuse for Stalking

9/2/2026

Summary

Deputy Misuses Cameras

Jackson County deputy Skylar Thompson was charged with fraud for misusing Flock cameras.
He made 2,055 license-plate searches of the same vehicle from Dec. 31, 2025 to Aug. 2, 2026.
Each search was recorded as “city planning/traffic analysis” despite lacking that assignment.
Prosecutors say he used the system to stalk his girlfriend.
Indiana State Police intervened on Aug. 14 after an audit, leading Thompson to resign, be arrested and jailed.

Summary

Florida Halts ALPR

Florida transportation officials ordered agencies to remove automated license-plate readers from state highway rights of way.
The Village of Homer Glen suspended its Flock camera system while reviewing the sheriff’s ALPR protocols.
Flock Safety added mandatory auditing tools, required case numbers for searches, and reduced its default data-retention period.
A Will County sheriff’s deputy was placed on administrative leave as internal affairs investigates possible policy violations.

History

Historical Context

In 2019, California enacted Senate Bill 384, restricting law-enforcement automated license-plate reader data to a maximum 30-day retention and requiring audit logs for each query. The Los Angeles Police Department, under that law, reduced its ALPR database to 30 days, saving $12 million in storage costs and improving compliance audits. Today, Indiana State Police and Florida transportation officials confront similar abuses, as deputy Skylar Thompson performed 2,055 unauthorized searches and Florida agencies suspend Flock cameras. The 2019 precedent urges nationwide policymakers to mandate audit tools and strict retention limits, aiming to curb privacy violations and restore public trust.

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Deputy Misuses Cameras

Jackson County deputy Skylar Thompson was charged with fraud for misusing Flock cameras.
He made 2,055 license-plate searches of the same vehicle from Dec. 31, 2025 to Aug. 2, 2026.
Each search was recorded as “city planning/traffic analysis” despite lacking that assignment.
Prosecutors say he used the system to stalk his girlfriend.
Indiana State Police intervened on Aug. 14 after an audit, leading Thompson to resign, be arrested and jailed.

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