A former Indiana sheriff's deputy has been charged after allegedly abusing access to Flock camera surveillance technology to stalk his girlfriend, running more than 2,000 unauthorised licence plate searches on her vehicle over more than a year. The case highlights growing concerns about the potential for misuse of powerful licence plate recognition systems by the very officers entrusted to use them responsibly, adding fuel to wider debate over privacy safeguards around such surveillance tools.

Skylar Thompson, 31, of Jackson County, faces a Level 6 felony charge of official misconduct alongside a misdemeanour fraud count, after allegedly disguising his searches between 31 December 2025 and 2 August as "city planning/traffic analysis" despite having no such duties. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department uncovered the pattern during an internal audit and referred the matter to Indiana State Police. Thompson resigned once confronted, admitted the conduct to his then-girlfriend, and later turned himself in. Flock Safety said it backs stronger privacy and accountability rules while defending its technology as a valuable crime-fighting tool.