Habersham County deputy misused Flock license-plate database for personal, non-law-enforcement searches; fired and arrested

The Habersham County Sheriff's Office announced July 31, 2026, that it had fired and arrested Deputy Christian Brewer after a random internal audit found he had accessed the agency's Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader (ALPR) system for "personal, non-law enforcement purposes." Investigators determined the searches involved an individual with whom Brewer had a personal relationship at the time. Brewer, who had worked for the Sheriff's Office since May 2024, was booked into the Habersham County Detention Center on one felony count of violation of oath of office and two misdemeanor counts of misuse of license plate data; the case remains under investigation and will be referred to the District Attorney's Office for review and prosecution. [1, 2, 3]

Habersham's Flock data is retained for 30 days, during which authorized users can search historical vehicle-location records — a capability intended to help investigators reconstruct a vehicle's movements after a crime, locate stolen vehicles, or find missing people. Unlike many other Georgia cases, which surfaced after complaints, Brewer's misuse was caught through a routine, unprompted internal audit. Sheriff Robin Krockum said the department would "hold our own accountable," calling the misuse "a betrayal" of the trust placed in deputies with access to sensitive surveillance data. [1, 2]

The Habersham arrest brought Georgia's documented total to at least 20 people arrested or criminally charged for misusing automated license-plate-reader systems, with prior cases touching agencies including the Albany Police Department, Richmond County Sheriff's Office, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, Coffee County Sheriff's Office, Echols County Sheriff's Office, Greene County Sheriff's Office, DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, Conyers Police Department, and Braselton Police Department. [1, 2, 3]