Officer accused of misusing Flock cameras and a police database in California

Thaddeus Miller, The Sacramento Bee on Oct 22, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A police department in California has opened an investigation into an officer accused of abusing Flock Safety cameras and using another police database for reasons not connected to a criminal investigation.

The accusations appeared this week in a report from Fresno’s in-house police watchdog called the Office of Independent Review, which on Wednesday released its first report in 14 months. The position for the independent auditor had been vacant since August 2025.

The report offered little detail other than that Internal Affairs began an investigation Sept. 8 after the department accused an unnamed officer of abusing Flock data and misusing statewide data from the Department of Justice’s database called California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, or CLETS.

CLETS allows law enforcement agencies to share criminal history, driving records and other data across the state.

The Fresno officer was also accused of not turning on a body-worn camera during a traffic stop, a potential violation of department policy. The officer was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, police said. The case remained open this week.

“The Fresno Police Department takes violations of policy seriously, but they become even more important when they involve a violation of public trust, as indicated by the allegations in this case,” the statement said. “The accused officer’s actions will also be reviewed for any potential criminal violations.”

Fresno police have said there are about 70 Flock cameras that they use in the city. An anti-Flock website called DeFlock lists about 180 cameras across Fresno, which includes privately owned cameras in residential areas and shopping centers such as River Park.

Flock cameras are meant to be used as investigative tools that can read license plates and “fingerprint” vehicles to track potential suspects in crimes. They have been a topic of debate in many cities after seemingly flying under the radar before drawing the ire of residents, who argue the cameras are an invasion of privacy.

The potential for police to abuse Flock cameras and personal data rank at the top of the list of concerns for many when it comes to police surveillance technology.

Residents in Fresno have voiced concerns. Chief Mindy Casto held a public meeting in the Tower District in July to try to ease those fears. Police have repeatedly said the cameras are a useful tool for catching suspects through the license-plate reader technology.

Casto has said the police use the cameras in specific situations, and they track who accesses the cameras in an effort to prevent or catch abuse.

Fresno police said Thursday that the department used “enhanced audit features” to find what appeared to be Flock misuse by an officer on Aug. 25. As Internal Affairs began to look into the case, they found the other apparent violations, according to a written police statement provided by Sgt. Diana Trueba Vega, a spokesperson for the department.

The Office of Independent Review listed the case as pending in its report. Once Internal Affairs is done investigating, the case gets a second review by the independent auditor.

Misuse of such cameras is not unprecedented. At least 50 officers have been charged with or accused of misuse related to stalking a partner, former partner or a woman they were interested in, according to a report this year from The Washington Post.

A San Jose police officer was fired in September after using Flock to obtain data the officer gave to a relative, who was suspected of domestic abuse, according to ABC7 News Bay Area.

A Massachusetts mayor fired two officers who used the cameras for personal reasons, including to track a romantic partner whom the officer had an “on-and-off relationship” with, Boston25 News reported Thursday.