Officers face firing, possible charges as controversy continues to surround Flock cameras

A Massachusetts town said it has cut ties with Flock Safety and removed Flock automated license plate readers and a Louisiana police department fired an officer in separate cases in which officers allegedly used the surveillance cameras to get information on people they know.

The town of Stow, Massachusetts, said it is moving to fire officer Jason Rogers, and the Stow Police Department said it is moving to criminally charge him for allegedly using Flock surveillance cameras to get information about someone they know.

Flock cameras automatically photograph every passing vehicle and store it in a database officers can search without a warrant.

Police said officer Jason Rogers improperly accessed information about someone he knows on at least five occasions and ran vehicle information through Flock Safety and Criminal Justice Information Services "for no legitimate law enforcement reason," police said.

The town has initiated proceedings to fire Rogers, and the police department filed a criminal complaint seeking charges against Rogers, with the case being forwarded to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, police said.

Rogers has been on leave since the department learned of the alleged misuse, according to the Stow Police Department.

The department said it learned of the alleged misconduct after a victim filed a complaint on June 18.

"Within three hours of receiving that complaint, the Department placed Jason Rogers on paid administrative leave and revoked his access to department systems," the department said.

"The internal affairs investigation sustained findings of conduct unbecoming of an officer, improper use of an official position, failure to comply with written orders, use of false and unsubstantiated search reasons, and violations of department policies surrounding law enforcement databases," police said.

An officer was also fired from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana over "personal use" of the Flock system, authorities said.

The sheriff's office said it opened an investigation into improper use of the Flock Camera System after media questioned the department about an allegation that an officer used the system "to search a single license plate several thousand times over the course of several years," the department said in a statement.

The officer admitted to the searches while being interviewed by the department, saying it belonged to his "former fiancee."

"The employee advised that he and his former fiancee maintained a friendly relationship. Furthermore, the employee stated that his former fiancee was aware of the computer searches. Based on this admission, the employee was immediately suspended. Investigators then focused their attention on the possibility of filing criminal charges against the employee," the department said in a statement.

The Stow Police Department said it has removed multiple license plate readers from the area to review public safety concerns.

"Recognizing the vital public safety potential of ALPR technology, Chief [Michael] Sallese will be presenting an updated [automated license plate reader] policy to the Select Board, outlining the procedures officers must follow and the chain of approval required to request such information from an outside agency and for any future re-implementation of similar systems. This includes explicit and specific use criteria, supervisory approval before use and aggressive logging and reporting requirements," the department said in a statement Tuesday.

The Select Board is the chief executive officer of the town, made up of five elected members.

"Law enforcement officers are entrusted with access to sensitive information solely so they can perform their official duties and protect the public," Sallese said in a statement. "Using that access for a personal purpose is a serious violation of that trust, and it is a crime."

An employment status hearing for Rogers is scheduled for Aug. 26.

This comes amid other reports throughout the country of law enforcement officers allegedly misusing the database.

In Wisconsin, a Menasha police officer who pleaded no contest to misusing a Flock camera system was sentenced to jail time and three years of probation as part of a withheld sentence on Monday, according to WBAY.

A county commissioner in Ohio is calling for the Lucas County Sheriff's Department to pause its use of Flock cameras until an audit can determine what legal authority officers are using to access the data and how to protect residents from mass surveillance.

The county sheriff pushed back, calling the technology a game changer.

"License plate readers have been a 'game changer' in recent years much the same way that DNA use became a valuable tool for law enforcement 40 years ago. Before you take away these crime-fighting tools, you must ask yourself if you are willing to sacrifice the safety of your children and loved ones. Communities that embrace technology are safer," Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre said in a statement to ABC News Toledo, Ohio, affiliate WTVG.

Growing backlash led Flock to announce changes last week, including requiring a criminal case number for database searches and promising to delete camera data after seven days instead of 30.

Flock did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

It was not immediately clear if Rogers had representation.