The New Bedford Police Department has suspended its use of Flock Safety license-plate reader technology while conducting a department-wide audit after identifying activity involving an officer that raised concerns about possible unauthorized use of the system.
Police Chief Jason Thody said the department ordered a comprehensive review of Flock activity on July 31, examining the system’s use since its inception as well as the policies, access controls and supervisory safeguards governing it.
That same day, the audit identified activity involving one officer that raised concerns about potential unauthorized use. The officer’s access to Flock was immediately suspended, and the department’s Professional Standards Unit opened a formal investigation.
The officer was placed on administrative duty when returning to work Aug. 1.
According to Thody, the investigation later identified a personal connection between the officer and an individual associated with a license plate that had been searched. The individual was notified of the investigation and interviewed by the Professional Standards Unit.
The matter escalated Aug. 10, when the officer was served with an Emergency Restraining Order. The officer was subsequently placed on administrative leave and required to surrender department-issued equipment and credentials and firearms. The officer’s License to Carry was also suspended, according to the department.
The internal investigation remains active.
Broader review underway
The investigation involving the officer is occurring alongside a much larger examination of the department’s use of Flock.
Beginning the week of Aug. 3, department personnel conducting parallel audits identified additional “outliers and anomalies,” including through Flock Safety’s Audit Assistance feature. The department said many of those instances have already been determined to involve legitimate law-enforcement activity, while others remain under review.
An anomaly, the department emphasized, does not itself establish misconduct.
Investigators are examining the frequency and number of searches performed by individual users, whether the stated reason for a search was consistent with an officer’s assignment, repeated searches of particular plates or vehicles, and patterns involving repeated use of particular search reasons.
When a search appears questionable, investigators can compare it with police reports, department communications, investigative bulletins, BOLOs, emails and other records to determine whether there was a legitimate law-enforcement purpose.
The review covers a significant amount of data. Thody said Flock’s Audit Assistance feature is available to the department only for 2026 data, requiring personnel to conduct a more labor-intensive manual review of activity from 2024 and 2025.
Flock system shut down
Amid the audit and the concerns identified during the review, Thody decided to temporarily suspend the department’s use of Flock.
Department personnel worked with Flock Safety to shut down the system Aug. 11.
The suspension is intended to give the department time to complete its audit, determine how the technology has been used and identify whether additional policies, access controls, auditing requirements or other safeguards are necessary.
The department has not yet decided whether Flock will return.
Thody said that decision will come after the relevant facts have been established and after consultation with elected officials, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, the City Solicitor’s Office and other appropriate partners.
Key questions remain unanswered
The department’s announcement establishes that investigators found activity warranting scrutiny, but it does not disclose the specific searches at issue or identify the officer.
It also does not say how many searches the broader audit ultimately will examine, how many have been determined to be improper, or whether the department has identified additional personnel who may have misused the system.
Those questions could become central as the audit progresses.
The controversy comes as communities continue to weigh the public-safety benefits of automated license-plate readers against concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of technology that can collect information about vehicles traveling through areas where readers are installed.
Thody acknowledged that debate, saying he has heard from residents who support the technology because of its potential public-safety benefits as well as people who believe the department should discontinue its use because of privacy and misuse concerns.
For now, the department has chosen to put the technology on hold.
“We will continue to provide updates as the audit and investigation progress and as additional information can appropriately be released,” Thody said.
The chief also stressed that an active investigation should not be treated as a finding of wrongdoing.
The department says allegations involving misuse of its technology will be investigated, while employees under investigation are entitled to a fair and impartial process. Because potential violations could result in discipline or criminal prosecution, Thody said the department must protect both the integrity of the investigation and the rights of those involved.
The next significant development will be the outcome of the broader audit and the department’s determination of whether additional safeguards can adequately address the concerns uncovered during the review.
