Deputy Fired for Using Flock Cameras to Track Ex-Fiancée’s Vehicle for Several Years, Sheriff Says
Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the deputy admitted making thousands of searches over several years, and JPSO called the misuse a fireable policy violation.
- On Wednesday, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto announced the termination of Deputy Nathan Rome for misusing the Flock automated license plate recognition system to track his former fiancée's vehicle "several thousand times" over several years.
- JPSO launched an internal investigation Monday after a national media outlet contacted the department about potential Flock system misuse by an employee. Rome admitted to the searches when interviewed by investigators on Tuesday.
- Investigators interviewed Rome's former fiancée, who confirmed she was aware of the searches and did not consider herself a victim. She requested no criminal charges, noting "there was no history of domestic violence between the two."
- Despite the lack of a formal complaint, the department terminated Rome for a "serious violation of JPSO policy." Sheriff Lopinto stated the Flock system is intended solely for solving crime, not personal use.
- Critics, including the ACLU and Louisiana Advocacy Director Sarah Whittington, cited the incident as evidence of mass surveillance dangers. Whittington warned that without guardrails, such systems risk violating constitutional rights and privacy.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Jefferson Parish deputy fired for tracking ex-fiancée via Flock cameras
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has fired an employee for misusing the agency's Flock camera system for personal reasons. According to deputies, the employee used the system to track a former fiancée's vehicle. Deputies said the employee admitted to searching his former fiancée's license plate several thousand times over the [...]
Cop Allegedly Fired for Abusing Flock Cameras 166 Times, Using System to Stalk Ex-Boyfriend: Report
Termination papers rarely tell the full story, but in Mauldin, South Carolina, the numbers attached to one officer’s dismissal speak volumes on their own. Mauldin Police confirmed the Aug. 3 firing of 24-year-old Ellie Anna Hammond, closing out a case that had quietly built for months, per KOCO-TV. Department officials offered little beyond confirmation of...
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