GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Newly released personnel records reveal a former Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigator accessed the agency’s Flock Safety system approximately 250 times for personal use over a nearly seven-month period — substantially expanding what was publicly known about the alleged misuse when his firing was first announced.
Former investigator Justin Keith Brown was terminated Aug. 19 after an internal audit uncovered unauthorized use of the automated license plate reader system.
When the Hall County Sheriff’s Office publicly announced Brown’s termination, officials said he had conducted unauthorized searches involving at least two license plate numbers for purposes unrelated to law enforcement. Now Georgia reported Tuesday that the Sheriff’s Office referred the case to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for a criminal investigation.
The termination documents Now Georgia obtained Wednesday provide a much larger picture of Brown’s activity.
In an Aug. 19 notice of pending disciplinary action, Criminal Investigations Bureau Commander Maj. Bradley Parks wrote that Brown’s unauthorized use began Jan. 2 and continued through July 30.
“During that six-month time period you accessed the Flock Safety System approximately 250 times for personal use,” Parks wrote.
A final termination letter issued later that day repeats the finding, stating an audit and subsequent internal investigation determined Brown accessed the system approximately 250 times between Jan. 2 and July 30.
“The information you accessed was for your personal use and was unrelated to any legitimate law enforcement purpose or authorized job function,” the letter states.
The newly released records do not identify the two license plates previously referenced by the Sheriff’s Office, who owned the vehicles, or why Brown was allegedly looking for them. The documents also describe approximately 250 instances of Brown “accessing” the Flock system, but do not specify whether every instance represented a separate license plate search.
Still, the records reveal a frequency of alleged personal use that the Sheriff’s Office did not disclose when it initially announced Brown’s firing.
According to the termination letter, the Sheriff’s Office determined Brown’s actions violated multiple agency procedures, including its Code of Conduct and his Oath of Office, as well as applicable Georgia law.
Brown was provided a pre-termination hearing at 3 p.m. Aug. 19 and given an opportunity to respond before a final decision was made. Parks wrote afterward that, following consideration of the information presented during that hearing, Brown’s employment was terminated effective immediately.
A Hall County personnel action form lists the termination as involuntary and gives the reason as “misconduct.” Under the section asking whether Brown would be eligible for rehire, the form states “No,” explaining the decision as “Misconduct / Policy Violations.”
Brown had worked for the Sheriff’s Office since December 2022.
The case surfaced through a self-initiated Hall County Sheriff’s Office audit of Flock activity. Following Brown’s firing, Parks publicly called what happened “an embarrassment to our agency,” while saying the technology remains a valuable investigative tool when properly used.
“We fully understand these choices increase mistrust when it comes to Flock use,” Parks said. He added that the agency remained committed to using the system only for legitimate law enforcement purposes.
Brown is one of two Hall County investigators fired in recent days following the agency’s Flock audit. Investigator Michael Atkins was terminated Aug. 24 after the Sheriff’s Office said an internal investigation determined he accessed the system on at least four occasions for personal reasons unrelated to law enforcement.
The latest records response also makes clear that the public still does not have the complete picture of either investigation.
Hall County Open Records Officer Lt. Cameron Parker told Now Georgia Wednesday that the Internal Affairs reviews involving Brown and Atkins remain open. Parker said those records will become releasable 10 business days after the reviews are closed under Georgia’s Open Records Act. Atkins’ termination paperwork also had not yet been finalized when the response was issued.
That means the documents detailing how investigators discovered Brown’s alleged activity, what he was searching for, his explanation to supervisors, and the evidence developed during the Internal Affairs investigation have not yet been released.
The GBI’s criminal investigation into Brown’s alleged misuse also remains ongoing. No criminal charges against Brown have been announced.
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