Second Hall County investigator fired over unauthorized Flock use

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Hall County Sheriff’s Office has fired a second investigator for unauthorized use of the agency’s Flock license plate reader system, less than a week after another investigator was terminated for similar policy violations.

Michael Atkins was fired Monday, Aug. 24, after an internal investigation found he allegedly accessed the Flock Safety system at least four times for personal reasons unrelated to legitimate law enforcement purposes, according to the sheriff’s office.

Atkins had worked for the Sheriff’s Office since December 2012.

The violations were discovered during the agency’s ongoing audit of its Flock system, which has already resulted in the termination of former investigator Justin Brown.

Second firing in less than a week

Brown was fired Wednesday, Aug. 19, after an internal investigation found he conducted unauthorized Flock searches involving at least two license plate numbers for purposes unrelated to law enforcement.

HCSO referred Brown’s case to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for a criminal investigation. The GBI previously confirmed to Now Georgia that it was investigating an allegation of Flock misuse involving the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office did not initially say whether Atkins’ case was also referred to the GBI. However, responding to Now Georgia, HCSO spokesperson BJ Williams said, “This case has not been referred to the GBI. I’m not aware of criminal charges at this point; however, the internal investigation is ongoing.”

Audit continues

Both cases were uncovered as Hall County conducts a broader audit of its use of Flock, a network of automated license plate reader cameras used by law enforcement agencies to locate vehicles associated with crimes and investigations.

Following Brown’s firing, HCSO Criminal Investigations Bureau Major Brad Parks called the incident “an embarrassment” to the agency.

“We fully understand these choices increase mistrust when it comes to Flock use,” Parks said at the time. “The system is a valuable tool, instrumental in helping our men and women catch criminals, such as recent murder suspect Antwane Thurmond; however, we are committed only to its proper use for legitimate law enforcement purposes.”

The firings follow reporting by Now Georgia examining Flock use by law enforcement agencies across Northeast Georgia. Hall County previously cited “technical difficulties” when it was unable to produce Flock data requested through an open records request earlier this month. The data was released Aug. 21, two days after Brown was fired.

HCSO says it continues to audit both its Flock system and how agency personnel are using it.

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Hall County investigator fired over alleged misuse of Flock system