08/19/2026
*** 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 ***
𝙐𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙇𝙋𝙍 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
The New Bedford Police Department is committed to being responsive and proactive when it comes to questions and concerns regarding our use of Flock Safety License Plate Reader (LPR) technology. I want to provide the community with an update on where we are in our review and how we are moving forward.
Over the past several weeks, I have heard from members of the public, elected officials, the ACLU, representatives from Flock Safety, and others regarding both the public-safety benefits of this technology and concerns about privacy and potential misuse.
After considering those concerns, I met with members of my staff to evaluate how we can best safeguard individual privacy while preserving the legitimate public-safety benefits this technology can provide.
𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩-𝙒𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩
As a starting point, on July 31, 2026, I ordered a comprehensive audit of the Department's use of the Flock system since its inception, along with a parallel review of our policies, procedures, access controls, and supervisory safeguards governing its use.
Conducting a meaningful audit requires more than simply reviewing the number of searches performed. Flock inquiries are generally based on license plates and vehicle descriptors. Because the Department does not maintain a database identifying the vehicles associated with every officer's family members, friends, acquaintances, or current and former personal relationships, identifying potentially inappropriate searches requires a more detailed examination of usage patterns and the circumstances surrounding individual searches.
Among other things, our audit examines:
* The number and frequency of searches conducted by individual users;
* Whether the stated reason for a search is consistent with the officer's assignment or duties;
* Repeated searches of the same license plate or vehicle;
* Patterns involving repeated use of particular search reasons; and
* Other activity that appears inconsistent with normal or expected law-enforcement use.
Flock Safety has also assisted Department personnel in using its Audit Assistance feature, which analyzes system activity for anomalies and identifies activity warranting additional review.
An anomaly or outlier does not, by itself, establish misconduct. Each identified search must be examined further to determine whether there was a legitimate law-enforcement purpose.
That process can include reviewing police reports, Department communications, investigative bulletins, BOLOs, Department email, investigative updates, and other records to determine whether the license plate or vehicle description was connected to an investigation or another legitimate law-enforcement purpose. When the legitimacy of a search cannot be established through those records, additional investigative steps are taken.
𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙
On July 31, the audit identified activity involving one officer that raised concerns about potential unauthorized use of the system. The officer's access to Flock was immediately suspended pending further investigation.
The Department's Professional Standards Unit (PSU) was notified that day and subsequently opened a formal investigation. The officer was placed on administrative duty upon returning to work on August 1.
The investigation subsequently identified a personal connection between the officer and an individual associated with a license plate that had been searched. That individual was notified of the investigation and interviewed by PSU.
On August 10, the officer who is the subject of the investigation was served with an Emergency Restraining Order. Consistent with the legal and administrative requirements resulting from that order, the officer was placed on administrative leave and required to surrender Department-issued equipment and credentials as well as fi****ms. The officer's License to Carry was also suspended.
The internal investigation remains active.
𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙨
During parallel audits conducted beginning the week of August 3, additional outliers and anomalies were identified, including through the use of Flock's Audit Assistance feature.
Many of these have already been verified as legitimate law-enforcement uses of the system. Others require additional review. There is a significant amount of data to examine, and I intend for this audit to be thorough and capable of identifying any unauthorized use that may have occurred.
It is also important to understand that the Audit Assistance capability is an upgrade to the original system and is available to us only for 2026 data. As a result, Department personnel are conducting a more labor-intensive manual audit of 2024 and 2025 activity.
𝙏𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙎𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠
Given the breadth of the audit and the concerns identified during our review, I determined that the appropriate course of action was to temporarily suspend the Department's use of Flock LPR technology while the audit and related investigation continue.
Department staff worked with Flock Safety to shut down our system on Tuesday, August 11.
This suspension will allow us to complete the audit, understand how the system has been used, determine whether unauthorized use occurred, and identify what additional policies, safeguards, auditing requirements, access controls, or other protections should be implemented before any decision is made regarding future use.
I recognize that there are passionate views on both sides of this issue. I have heard from community members who strongly support keeping this technology because of its value to public safety. I have also heard from those who believe the Department should discontinue its use because of concerns regarding privacy and potential misuse.
Both perspectives deserve to be heard.
Once we have the relevant facts, I will consult with our elected officials, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, the City Solicitor's Office, and other appropriate partners as we evaluate whether and under what conditions the technology should be reinstated.
𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙪𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨
Any allegation involving the misuse of Department technology will be investigated thoroughly and expeditiously.
The public deserves accountability when Department resources are misused. At the same time, every employee who is the subject of an investigation is entitled to a fair and impartial process.
Because sustained violations could result in significant discipline and potentially criminal prosecution, it is essential that we protect the integrity of the investigation and the due-process rights of everyone involved. For that reason, it would be inappropriate for me to reach conclusions or comment further on the specific allegations while the investigation remains active.
Transparency does not require us to prejudge an investigation. It requires us to identify concerns when they arise, take appropriate action, thoroughly investigate the facts, and report those facts to the public when we are able to do so responsibly.
We will continue to provide updates as the audit and investigation progress and as additional information can appropriately be released.
-- Chief Jason Thody
