3 Gwinnett County officers fired, charged with Flock technology misuse

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA– The Gwinnett County Police Department(GCPD) has charged three officers and terminated their employment as part of an ongoing investigation into the misuse of the Flock license plate reader system.

Renee Downer was arrested and charged in May with Simple Battery and Stalking.

Derric Holmes has been charged with six counts of Misuse of License Plate Data.

Matthew Lau has been charged with one count of Misuse of License Plate Data.

These investigations remain active and additional charges may follow.

Since implementing Flock in 2019, the County has continually explored ways to improve its use and increase safeguards to prevent abuse, officials said.

In June 2026 the department gained access to Flock’s new robust auditing system. The system significantly expands the department’s ability to review search activity and identify usage that may require further examination.

In response to these incidents, GCPD has implemented sweeping changes regarding access, training and policy surrounding the use of Flock. Now, when a search is needed, a justification must be provided to a direct supervisor, who will evaluate the request and conduct the search if appropriate, officials said. The department has also mandated all officers to undergo retraining on the use of the Flock system and is reducing the retention period for Flock data from 30 days to 15 days. Officers will continue to receive Flock alerts related to vehicles associated with criminal activity, missing and endangered persons and other public safety concerns.

“We understand why the public expects us to closely monitor who accesses this technology and how it is being used,” said GCPD Chief J.D. McClure. “When we identified misuse, we immediately acted and made significant changes to limit access and strengthen oversight. Flock is an extremely important crime fighting tool and misuse of this technology will not be tolerated. We will continue to evaluate our safeguards while making sure our officers and detectives have access to technology that has helped us solve violent crimes and locate people in danger.”

Flock has played an important role in some of the department’s most serious and time-sensitive incidents by helping identify and locate vehicles connected to homicides, shootings, kidnappings of children, missing and endangered persons, individuals with dementia and suspects who pose an immediate threat, officials said.

GCPD stated that it remains committed to serving the community with integrity, accountability and professionalism. The department will continue to evaluate how this technology is used, strengthen safeguards and hold itself accountable when those standards are violated, officials stated.