Chandler Police announce suspected Flock misuser resigned

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

The Chandler Police Department announced Aug. 13 that an officer accused of misusing the city’s Flock system has resigned.

The announcement came hours before a regular meeting, which, despite an Aug. 7 announcement that the city was dropping the entire Flock automated license plate reader camera and data system, was likely to attract dozens of speakers, encouraging the department to abandon such systems permanently.

In an Aug. 13 news release, the department stated that an officer who admitted to misusing the Flock system has resigned.

“The officer whose account was linked to the unusual usage was questioned and admitted to utilizing the technology in an effort to locate an older family member with previous health concerns,” Chandler Police stated. “The Chandler PD verified that the misuse was tied to a family member and not to a member of the public.”

After a long hearing at a May meeting about renewing the department’s contract with Flock, the decision was postponed to July and was postponed again to the next regular meeting of Council on Aug. 13.

But last week, Chief Bryan Chapman called a news conference to announce his department had found “an anomaly” in how the Flock system was being used and that not only would there be an investigation, the department no longer has access to the system and Flock had been directed to deactivate and remove all 40 cameras in Chandler as soon as possible.

“On Aug. 6, the Chandler Police Department became aware of an unusual usage of the Flock system following a routine scheduled audit,” the Aug. 13 release states. “This officer was immediately placed on administrative leave and later submitted their resignation before a formal investigation could take place.”

The department stated that due to the officer’s resignation, it considers the matter to be closed. No mention was made about the identity of the officer, nor whether that person will be charged or cited.

At the Aug. 7 news conference, Chapman said that since the city’s Flock system went live in early 2024, the Aug. 6 infraction marked the first time the department’s routine audit process identified an anomaly in the use of the system “that could not be explained through standard police action.”

Chapman said the catch was an example of the audit safeguards working as designed — spotting irregular activity so it can be reviewed and addressed.

“We are currently investigating to determine if the Flock system was used inappropriately, and if so, what discipline may be required,” Chapman said on Aug. 7.

Flock’s license plate reader program has become the center of intense debate about how much and in what places and circumstances people should be surveilled nationwide. A few members of the public mentioned Flock at Chandler Council meetings in the spring of this year, but it wasn’t until the contract renewal was placed on May agendas that citizens’ rights groups and hundreds of Valley residents became more vocal.

Council decided, in front of a packed chamber filled mostly with Flock opponents, May 21 to push back its decision until July.

Chapman said Aug. 7 he believes in license plate reader systems and, with proper monitoring, can be a useful and lifesaving tool for first responders.

After Chandler Police experienced what Chapman describes as success with an initial network of 14 Flock cameras, installed in 2024, he came back to Council in early 2025 and asked for money to install 26 more, which it approved with little discussion.

“If this protection package is in place and approved by City Council in a public, transparent process, we may go out for a request of proposals to evaluate vendors who can maintain our high standards,” Chapman said.

Though Chandler’s access to the system will be terminated, the 40 fixed-camera readers and poles are the property of Flock. He said the removal of that equipment will be performed “as quickly as possible by the vendor,” and that Chandler Police no longer have access to the system, though he wasn’t clear on how fast and with what encouragement Flock would be “hooding” — covering — or dismantling the cameras.

Chandler’s Aug. 7 decision came two days after Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple told his Board of Supervisors he won’t renew his department’s contract with Flock Safety. Flagstaff, Sedona, Tempe and South Tucson have also gone in a direction away from Flock. It also came three days before the Apache Junction Police Department announced one of its officers had resigned after misusing Flock technology in an attempt to find his wife during a dispute.

Council member O.D. Harris, the lone “no” vote on the May decision to postpone the vote on the extension, said he and other officials are more informed now about problems with Flock, license-plate readers and the entire business model of collecting such data than when they voted to initiate and then expand the program.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org.  Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.