A Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera (FOX 5 Atlanta). GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – Gwinnett County police officers face termination and criminal charges following an internal investigation into the misuse of license plate reader technology. Gwinnett County police charged three officers and ended their employment after discovering misuse of the department's Flock license plate reader system. Investigators arrested Renee Downer in May on charges of simple battery and stalking. Authorities charged Derric Holmes with six counts of misuse of license plate data, while Matthew Lau faces one count of the same charge. Department officials gained access to a new auditing system in June that allowed administrators to review search activity and flag suspicious usage. Following the discoveries, leadership altered how officers access the database. Officers must now submit search requests with justifications to direct supervisors, who evaluate the need and perform the search. The department mandated retraining for all officers and cut the data retention period from 30 days to 15 days. Police officials have not revealed whether additional officers are under review or if more charges will be filed as the investigation continues. Authorities have not detailed the specific targets or circumstances surrounding the unauthorized searches conducted by Holmes and Lau. FOX 5 Atlanta has documented multiple incidents of law enforcement officials accessing the Flock system without…
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