Revere, Mass. police officer misused Flock cameras and state database to track ex-girlfriend, suspended without pay

On September 2, 2026, Revere, Massachusetts police confirmed that Officer Michael Tiso had been suspended without pay after an internal affairs investigation found he misused the department's Flock license-plate-reader camera network and a state license-plate database to track the location of his ex-girlfriend, Marissa Todisco, and her family. Public records obtained by The Boston Globe show Tiso accessed the Flock system more than a dozen times over four separate occasions. The department opened its investigation after receiving a complaint from Todisco in December 2025; she told State Police she believed Tiso was tracking her movements through the camera network at times when no active court order was in effect.

Tiso and Todisco have a documented history of mutual restraining orders and criminal complaints stretching back several years. Tiso told investigators the searches were connected to his own restraining order against Todisco and that he had been assisting another officer with a police report, adding that he had never used Flock to harass her. An internal affairs report substantiating the misuse was submitted in January 2026, though an addendum shows Tiso's superiors initially exonerated him, concluding the tool's use was "consistent with this type of investigation" and "limited to a short period of time." Tiso ultimately served a three-day suspension, from August 24 to August 26, 2026, and has since returned to duty; the findings were reported to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, which tracks officer misconduct statewide. POST records show two prior disciplinary suspensions on Tiso's record, from 2020, for failing to respond to an incident according to procedure and for conduct unbecoming an officer.

Revere police said in a statement that they have since implemented a new audit tool to flag unusual or suspicious Flock search patterns as part of the department's review of the policy breach. Chief Maria LaVita said the department must "ensure that each and every search is connected to a legitimate, lawful purpose and that searches comply with department policy and all applicable laws." The case is one of several recent instances of Massachusetts officers misusing Flock or similar license-plate systems to track people in their personal lives, including cases in Stow and New Bedford, amid a broader statewide backlash that has led more than a dozen Massachusetts cities and towns to stop using the technology.