A South Carolina police officer has been fired for allegedly using a Flock camera system to check on an individual with whom she had had a relationship.
Ellie Anna Hammond, 24, was fired on Aug. 3, the Mauldin Police Department said, according to KOCO-TV.
A department representative said no comment on the action would be coming, because it’s “a personnel matter.”
Hammond was fired due to alleged misconduct between March and July, according to documents from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.
During that period, Hammond was accused of accessing the Flock camera system 166 different times to track a vehicle that belonged to an individual with whom she once had a relationship.
Every time the system was accessed, a reason was provided, but the documents said those reasons were bogus.
The reasons were variously listed as a warrant check, traffic infraction, or welfare check.
Hammond was not charged with any crimes.
According to the Criminal Justice Academy, Hammond was hired in June 2024.
Flock cameras are motion-activated cameras that capture the license plates and types of vehicles passing anywhere the cameras are installed.
Alleged misuse of Flock cameras has also been an issue in neighboring North Carolina.
Mooresville police officer Elizabeth Snowman is accused of using the department’s Flock cameras 31 times to track her boyfriend’s former wife, according to ABC News. She was charged with accessing computers.
According to WBTV, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Seth Elliot accessed his department’s Flock system after being asked by the target of a drug investigation in another county to provide information on a vehicle used by an undercover officer. Elliot was charged with illegally accessing a government computer.
A report from The Washington Post noted that other communities have battled misuse of the technology.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley said changes are being made that will take effect Jan. 1, according to the Associated Press.
The changes require police agencies to audit their systems for misuse using a tool that will lock out users who appear to be abusing the system.
Instead of free-floating searches, police will be required to enter a code that connects a search to an existing open case before the search can be run.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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