A former Oakland County sheriff's employee could face criminal charges after conducting dozens of searches of a Flock database after he was no longer employed by the agency.
The employee performed at least 58 immigration-related searches of Flock license plate reader data in February 2026, according to audit logs analyzed by The Detroit News using data from USA Today.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office license plate reader policy said the only valid uses for license plate reader data are to alert officers to the presence of a vehicle on a "hot list," locate a criminal suspect or assist in locating a missing person.
"Those queries were unauthorized and violate our policy," Oakland County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Tyler Sweers said.
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Sweers confirmed in a text message that the ongoing criminal investigation was focused on the fact that the individual continued to access the Flock database after he no longer worked at the sheriff's office.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard declined requests for an interview, citing the ongoing investigation. The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office said no charges had been filed.
Flock provides automated license plate reader technology to agencies across 49 U.S. states, including around 180 police departments and sheriff's offices in Michigan. The company operates more than 120,000 cameras nationwide that capture images of vehicles as they drive by, feeding into a data-sharing network that police officers can search.
The company has touted its product as a game-changer for police, helping them solve crimes and track down missing persons faster than traditional investigative tools. But critics of the technology have said it enables mass surveillance.