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Chandler, Ariz. police officer misused Flock license-plate cameras to locate family member, resigned before investigation completed

A Chandler, Arizona police officer resigned on August 13, 2026, after admitting to department investigators that they used the city's Flock automated license-plate-reader system to locate an older family member with prior health concerns. Chandler Police said in a written statement that a routine scheduled audit flagged unusual account activity on August 6, the officer was questioned and admitted the misuse, was placed on administrative leave, and resigned before a formal investigation could be completed. The city had already announced on August 7 that it would end its use of all 40 Flock cameras following the internal investigation.

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

Jurisdiction
Arizona
Location
Chandler, Arizona

Abuses documented

Actors

  • Unnamed officer (Chandler Police Department)

On August 13, 2026, Chandler, Arizona police officials confirmed that an officer had resigned after admitting to misusing the department's Flock automated license-plate-reader (ALPR) system. In a written statement, Chandler Police said a routine scheduled audit flagged "unusual usage" of the Flock system on August 6, 2026; the officer whose account was linked to the activity was questioned and admitted to using the technology in an effort to locate an older family member with previous health concerns. The officer was placed on administrative leave and resigned before a formal investigation could be completed. Chandler Police said investigators verified the activity was linked to the officer's family member, not a member of the public, and considers the matter closed.

The department had already announced on August 7, 2026 that it would end use of all 40 Flock cameras installed across the city, following the internal investigation into potential misuse -- before the officer's identity or specific conduct had been disclosed. Chandler Police Chief Bryan Chapman declined at the time to detail the nature of the misuse, citing the ongoing investigation, though he said no member of the public's privacy had been compromised. As of this reporting, Chandler Police have not publicly identified the officer.

Chandler was one of several Phoenix-area police departments to disclose ALPR misuse or investigations the same week: Apache Junction Police announced on August 10 that an officer had resigned after using Flock cameras to track his wife, and Surprise Police placed an officer on leave on August 12 pending an investigation into a separate audit anomaly.

Why we recorded this

Officers given access to government surveillance databases are trusted to use that access only for legitimate law-enforcement purposes, not personal reasons. A Chandler, Arizona police officer instead admitted to using the department's Flock automated license-plate-reader system to locate an older family member, then resigned before a formal investigation could examine the misuse further. This archive records officers converting surveillance tools meant for public safety into instruments of personal use, a pattern recurring across multiple Arizona departments and other states within the same week -- one serious enough that Chandler ended its entire 40-camera Flock program in response.

Sources

  1. Chandler police officer admits to misusing Flock camera system and resigns: PD — FOX 10 Phoenix primary accessed August 14, 2026
  2. Chandler police officer resigns, admits to misusing Flock cameras — AZFamily (KTVK/KPHO) primary accessed August 14, 2026

See also