Savannah police officer fired for sharing Flock license plate system login

A police officer in Savannah, Georgia, was fired after sharing her Flock system login details with her husband, who is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. The Verge, Gizmodo, and Mezha.net reported that former Savannah Police Department officer Amber Harpe was terminated in August following an internal department investigation into the security breach. [1][2][3]

Amber Harpe provided her username and password to her husband, Tyler Harpe, because he did not have an active Flock account through the Department of Homeland Security, according to local news outlet WJCL, cited by Gizmodo. The Verge and Gizmodo reported that the Savannah Police Department does not share its Flock license plate data with ICE. [1][2][4]

While using the unauthorized access, Tyler Harpe performed 983 searches covering 97 license plates, according to local ABC affiliate WJCL, cited by The Verge. The reports noted that these searches overwhelmingly targeted vehicles registered to Hispanic drivers. Gizmodo reported that Georgia state law appears to allow local police to share plate data with federal immigration authorities, but the city of Savannah had never agreed to participate in such data sharing. [1][2][4]

The Savannah Police Department stated that sharing access credentials violated departmental security protocols, according to The Verge. Local leaders in Savannah have since reacted to the firing, as reported by WJCL. [1][4]