An Ohio police lieutenant has been indicted on a felony charge after allegedly using his department’s Flock licence plate reader system to track someone he knew for personal reasons.
Walter Cordes, 48, of the Sharonville Police Department, is accused of searching the system 29 times between 19 December 2024 and 20 April 2026, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.
A grand jury indicted him on 13 October on one count of unauthorised use of a computer, cable or telecommunications property. The fifth-degree felony carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison under Ohio law.
Prosecutors have not identified the person Cordes allegedly tracked or explained why he searched for them. Cordes has been placed on administrative leave while Sharonville Police completes its own investigation.
The alleged misuse came to light in June during an internal audit of the system. Cordes reportedly self-reported and later admitted to the searches during an interview, leading to an investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Sharonville police chief Jim Nesbit said the audit had uncovered other improper use, which the department had addressed. “Lt. Cordes came forward to share that he too had misused the system,” he told local television station WKRC.
The Sharonville department leases 24 Flock cameras. Hamilton County prosecutor Connie Pillich said Cordes was the first law enforcement official charged by her office with misusing the technology since she took office.
“When technology is misused, it undermines public trust,” Ms Pillich said in a statement.
Rich Krummen, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 74, said people he had spoken to were shocked by the allegations, but added: “that’s why we have checks and balances.”
Other police cases involving Flock cameras
The indictment comes after several other cases involving alleged misuse of Flock systems. In September, prosecutors in Marion County, Indiana, charged five Indianapolis police officers over their access to the cameras.
One of those officers allegedly searched for the location of his ex-wife’s car more than 950 times over six months. On 7 October, former Joliet police lieutenant Jeremy Harrison was charged with computer tampering and official misconduct over his use of the city’s Flock system.
Flock cameras allow police departments with contracts to reconstruct where a vehicle has travelled. The company says every search is logged and reviewed through its Audit Assistance tool, which flags unusual activity for administrators.
Two Arizona cities, Tempe and Cave Creek, ended their Flock contracts in August. Cave Creek cited privacy concerns and cases of misuse.
Several jurisdictions in Greater Cincinnati have also halted or cancelled their contracts over misuse concerns, including the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the allegations involving Cordes.
Flock declined to comment on the case.
