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Reynoldsburg, Ohio officer Mark Nichols made 46 unauthorized Flock searches on ex-partner's plate, resigned before IA interview

Reynoldsburg, Ohio police officer Mark Nichols resigned on July 13, 2026, the day before he was scheduled to be interviewed in an internal-affairs investigation that found he made 47 unauthorized searches of the department's Flock Safety license-plate-reader system between September 2025 and June 2026. Investigators determined 46 of those searches targeted a vehicle belonging to his former domestic partner, with Nichols logging the reason as "23," the department's code for an errand, rather than a case number; Deputy Chief Mike Binder sustained the finding that Nichols had violated department policy. Because Nichols resigned before his interview he faced no discipline, and the department held off referring the case for criminal prosecution because of a medical diagnosis, though officials said that could change if his health improved.

Part of: Police Using License-Plate Camera Networks to Stalk

Jurisdiction
Ohio
Location
Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Abuses documented

Actors

  • Mark Nichols (former Officer, Reynoldsburg Division of Police)

On July 13, 2026, Reynoldsburg, Ohio police officer Mark Nichols resigned the day before he was scheduled for an internal-affairs interview into his use of the department's Flock Safety license-plate-reader system. A routine audit by Lt. Kevin McDonnell had found Nichols searched the same Ohio license plate 27 times between May 25 and June 11, 2026, while he was on non-disciplinary medical leave for a serious illness; investigators then expanded the review to September 1, 2025 through June 17, 2026 and tallied 47 unauthorized searches in total -- 19 in December 2025, 12 in May 2026, and 16 in June 2026. Forty-six of those searches targeted a vehicle that investigators determined, from Nichols's personnel file and an emergency-contact form, belonged to his former domestic partner; Nichols logged the searches under "23," the department's code for an errand, rather than a case number. Investigators also reviewed a 2022 domestic-disturbance call involving Nichols and the same individual as part of the probe.

Deputy Chief Mike Binder concluded there was a "preponderance of evidence" that Nichols had violated department policy by using Flock Safety for personal purposes, and the allegation was sustained. Because Nichols resigned before his scheduled interview, the department imposed no discipline. The police chief recommended against referring the case for criminal prosecution at that time, citing Nichols's medical diagnosis, but noted the recommendation could change if his condition improved.

Updates

2026-08-05 — Officials disclosed resignation, referred matter to state investigators [3]

Reynoldsburg officials publicly disclosed the resignation. Chief Curtis Baker said the misuse surfaced through a proactive, department-wide audit of Flock searches, and Mayor Joe Begeny said the matter would be referred to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for possible further review.

Why we recorded this

Officers granted access to a shared license-plate-reader network are trusted to search it only for legitimate law-enforcement purposes, not to track someone in their personal life. A Reynoldsburg, Ohio officer instead ran the same plate -- a vehicle belonging to his former domestic partner -- through the Flock Safety system 46 times over nine months, logging an "errand" code instead of a case number, and his own department's internal-affairs review sustained the finding that he had violated policy. This archive records the case because he resigned the day before his scheduled interview and faced no discipline, and prosecutors held off a criminal referral over his health rather than the conduct itself, leaving supervised database access as the only real check on personal misuse.

Sources

  1. Records detail Flock investigations of two Reynoldsburg officers — ABC 6 / WSYX primary accessed September 3, 2026
  2. Former Reynoldsburg Police officers made dozens of personal searches on surveillance cameras — WOSU Public Media primary accessed September 3, 2026
  3. Reynoldsburg police officers resign following alleged Flock camera system misuse — Spectrum News 1 primary accessed September 3, 2026

See also