A Georgia small-business owner has filed a lawsuit against Flock and the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, claiming their license plate reader technology was misused to conduct illegal surveillance and retaliate against him following earlier legal action over police misconduct.
- Lawsuit alleges illegal license plate tracking without proper cause
- Flock’s system accepted vague or nonsensical search justifications
- Concerns grow over unchecked law enforcement surveillance capabilities
What happened
Tyler Murkerson, a small-business owner in Georgia, was arrested in February 2023 on an alleged seatbelt violation, charges that were later dropped. In September 2024, he sued the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office for excessive force, a case recently settled. During the period when this lawsuit was pending, Murkerson claims sheriff’s deputies repeatedly searched for his vehicle’s license plate in the Flock ALPR system without proper justification.
His attorneys allege these searches lacked probable cause and often used nonsensical or meaningless reasons such as 'info' or random numbers rather than legitimate case numbers or investigations. They assert Flock’s platform lacked adequate safeguards, allowing officers to conduct these warrantless and arbitrary surveillance searches over many months.
Why it matters
This lawsuit underscores significant privacy and constitutional concerns related to law enforcement’s use of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology. According to the complaint, unchecked access to Flock’s database enabled searches that potentially violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The case highlights systemic weaknesses in how some ALPR platforms enforce search justifications, raising alarms about mass surveillance, tracking, and retaliatory practices without proper legal oversight. This comes amid a broader backlash with many agencies dropping Flock amid fears of overreach and misuse.
What to watch next
Flock has announced plans to update its software by the end of 2026 to require verifiable case codes for all law enforcement searches, a direct response to complaints like this one. Coweta County Sheriff’s Office has begun auditing its use of the system amid employee resignations tied to the controversy.
Legal experts and privacy advocates will closely monitor how courts handle this case, as it could set precedent for regulating ALPR use. Meanwhile, ongoing public and agency scrutiny may drive policy changes or restrictions on surveillance technology deployments nationwide.