A police officer from South Carolina was dismissed on August 3 after reportedly using a Flock camera to check her ex-girlfriend’s license plate over 100 times.
Ellie Anna Hammond, 24, was let go from the Mauldin Police Department (MPD) due to alleged misconduct occurring between March and July, according to records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. During this span, Hammond is said to have run her ex-girlfriend’s license plate 166 times, falsely claiming she was conducting warrant checks, traffic inspections, and welfare assessments.
At this time, she has not faced any criminal charges related to the situation. A spokesperson for the MPD stated they would not provide further details, as her termination is a “personnel matter.”
Hammond began her police career in June 2024 as part of the uniformed patrol division and successfully completed her training and psychological evaluations.
The situation arises just days after a report from Winona, Minnesota, where all eight of the city’s Flock cameras were reported stolen. Officers discovered that a utility pole had been cut down and left in nearby weeds, but the cameras themselves were still missing. Additionally, some Flock cameras were reported vandalized in July in Ashland County, Ohio.
Flock Safety has cameras that feature automatic license plate readers (ALPR), which utilize artificial intelligence to capture and analyze images of passing vehicles, logging details like location, date, and time. They also record unique identifiers such as the vehicle’s make, model, color, and additional features, turning this data into searchable information.
Moreover, there are significant concerns associated with the use of Flock cameras, including issues related to privacy, data retention, wrongful arrests, and the potential for stalking.
A website called HaveIBeenFlocked.com has been launched, allowing individuals to check if their license plate has been searched using Flock technology.
