CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. – A Clayton County deputy faces criminal charges after state investigators say he misused a law enforcement license plate reader system for personal reasons. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) arrested and charged Clayton County Sheriff's Office Deputy Errol Farrell, Jr., 40, of Lithonia, with misuse of a license plate reader system. The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office asked the GBI to open an investigation after allegations surfaced about misuse of its Flock Safety System. GBI agents said Farrell used the license plate reading technology for non-law enforcement purposes. Farrell turned himself in on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, and was booked into the Clayton County Jail, according to the agency. Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be turned over to the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Flock Safety cameras are widely used by Georgia law enforcement to track license plates and alert officers to stolen vehicles or wanted suspects. State law strictly limits access to these systems for official law enforcement duties, making unauthorized searches a criminal offense. The arrest comes amid a significant statewide surge in law enforcement employees and officers facing criminal charges for misusing automated license plate readers. Across Georgia, several officers, deputies and agency staff have been arrested following widespread internal audits of the Flock Safety database. The recent arrests come from a surge in…
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