By admin 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer is accused of misusing license plate reader data from the Flock camera system to help the target of an active drug investigation, raising concerns among privacy advocates and former law enforcement officers about oversight of the technology.
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According to court documents, 25-year-old CMPD officer Seth Elliott is accused of sharing information obtained through the Flock camera system with the subject of a drug investigation.
Elliott has been placed on leave and is facing a criminal charge.
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers designed to help law enforcement identify and track vehicles linked to crimes. The cameras capture images of passing vehicles and store information that can be accessed by authorized users.
A retired police officer who spoke with Queen City News but asked not to be identified said the technology can be a valuable investigative tool but carries risks.
“The Flock system, I think it does provide benefits, but with those benefits, there is abuse to the system,” the retired officer said.
The former officer explained that agencies without their own agreement with Flock can request access through agencies that do have access to the system.
“When you put the human hand behind it and people in positions of authority that have access to do things that they necessarily shouldn’t, the human factor plays a role and officers make bad decisions,” the retired officer said.
CMPD told Queen City News it does not own or operate Flock cameras or devices but does have access to data collected through the system.
Queen City News identified at least four Flock cameras on the outskirts of uptown Charlotte that appear to operate 24/7 and direct residents to Flock’s website.
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Will Owen, communications director for the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), said the case highlights concerns about how law enforcement agencies gain access to license plate reader information.
“It’s really alarming the number of loopholes that law enforcement, at both the local and federal levels, have to gain access to license plate reader data,” Owen said.
S.T.O.P. has advocated for limiting or ending the use of license plate reader systems.
“We’ve firmly called for an end to their use in municipalities across the country,” Owen said.
A Flock spokesperson told Queen City News the company maintains records of all camera searches and uses an audit assistance program to flag unusual activity for agencies.
The retired officer said he believes police departments should be required to obtain a warrant before accessing license plate reader data.
“If the Supreme Court has come out against cell phone tracking and said you cannot continuously follow someone, it’s kind of being hypocritical when Flock is doing the exact same thing that cell phones do,” he said.
CMPD said the cameras identified by Queen City News near uptown Charlotte may be located on private property. The department said officials are looking further into our questions about those devices.
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