Flock Safety, the company behind the license plate reader cameras at Apollo Beach neighborhood entrances, will now require every law enforcement client to use a tool that flags officers who abuse the system. The mandate follows the arrest of a Haines City police officer accused of tracking his estranged wife's car more than 700 times.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, which operates the cameras locally, told WFLA on Aug. 14 that it is "looking into" the new requirements. The agency has not said whether it has activated the audit tool or committed to a timeline.

Audit tool flags unusual search patterns

Flock CEO Garrett Langley announced Aug. 13 that the company's Audit Assistance feature, previously optional, will be mandatory for all law enforcement customers by Jan. 1, 2027. About a third of agencies had already turned it on voluntarily, CNN reported.

The tool monitors individual officers' search patterns. When it detects abnormal activity, such as one user searching the same plate repeatedly for more than 30 days, it locks that officer out until an administrator reviews the flagged behavior. Flock told TechCrunch the system is not based on artificial intelligence; co-founder Paige Todd said it flags unusual patterns early rather than relying on machine learning.

Beyond the audit tool, Flock is cutting its standard data retention from 30 days to seven and requiring officers to enter a case number before running any search.

Arrest of Haines City officer triggered the mandate

Haines City officer Christopher Goodson, 31, faces one count of official misconduct and one count of offenses against users of computers. Investigators found he searched his estranged wife's plate 717 times between Sept. 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026, entering false justifications such as "Wanted Person" and "Drugs/Narcotics" to disguise the queries, according to People magazine. Goodson has been placed on administrative leave and indicated his intent to resign.

In Bibb County, Georgia, the same audit tool uncovered misuse that led to three deputies being arrested in August 2026 for stalking people they had personal relationships with.

Local officers, advocates react

Brandon Barclay, president of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association, said Tampa police already use the audit tool and defended the technology. "I think it's an invaluable tool, as long as it's used appropriately," Barclay told WFLA. He added that in any system involving humans, some abuse is inevitable, and it falls to agencies to hold officers accountable.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that it implemented the audit tool before Flock's announcement and already required a case number and reason for each search.

Privacy advocates are less reassured. Zach Schira, lead organizer of DeFlock St. Pete, called the mandate a positive step but said it highlights a core problem: a private company running what he called a nationwide surveillance system that should have government oversight instead. The Institute for Justice has cataloged more than 140 documented incidents of license plate reader abuse nationally.

More than 50 agencies or jurisdictions have canceled, suspended or rejected Flock contracts since the beginning of 2026, according to a tracker maintained by DeFlock, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

What it means for Apollo Beach

Flock cameras have been observed at Apollo Beach neighborhood entrances, scanning plates and logging every vehicle's make, model, color and time of passage. Under the new rules, any Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy who searches that data without a valid case number will be flagged, and repeated searches of the same plate will trigger an automatic lockout.

That's the promise. HCSO has not disclosed how many cameras it operates in Apollo Beach or confirmed when it will complete its review of Flock's new requirements. DeFlock St. Pete scheduled its latest public meeting for Aug. 15 at the President Barack Obama Library in St. Petersburg.