New Bedford police officer accused of using Flock cameras to track ex-girlfriend
A New Bedford, Massachusetts police officer is accused of misusing the department's Flock automated license plate reader system to track her ex-girlfriend's vehicle location. The department suspended use of the technology and the officer was served with a protective order pending an internal investigation.
What happened
Officer Emily Pacheco of the New Bedford Police Department is accused of using the department's Flock camera system to track her ex-girlfriend's license plate. The ex-girlfriend testified that the New Bedford Police Department notified her that her license plate had been searched in the Flock database a "concerning" number of times, and she was asked whether she felt she was being followed.
Pacheco acknowledged in court that she used the Flock system daily in her capacity as a New Bedford police officer. When asked if she queried her ex-girlfriend's license plate to find her location, Pacheco denied doing so, claiming the searches were related to a legitimate drug investigation. The ex-girlfriend also alleged that Pacheco showed up to her home unannounced while on duty in her police cruiser.
Reported impact
The ex-girlfriend reported feeling tracked and monitored by the officer. A protective order against Pacheco was extended for six months, with the judge ordering her not to abuse, contact, or pose any threat to her ex-girlfriend.
Index analysis
Flock cameras use automated license plate recognition technology to capture vehicle information and can provide law enforcement with location data with a delay of as little as 2 minutes. The allegations against Pacheco are described as the latest instance in which law enforcement officers have faced scrutiny over the use of Flock's surveillance technology.
According to the ACLU of Massachusetts, there have been many cases across the country at all levels of law enforcement where police have misused and abused their access to surveillance databases, and most states still lack laws to prevent such misuse.
Governance controls
The New Bedford Police Department has suspended its use of Flock technology, with Mayor Jon Mitchell stating the department has "effectively hit the pause button" and will not use Flock cameras until there is agreement on policy governing their use. The department acknowledged that Flock technology raises "legitimate questions about privacy, access, information sharing, and oversight."
Flock Safety has rolled out additional safeguards in response to the allegations and similar scrutiny, including reducing the length of time it retains camera data from one month to one week. Pacheco is on administrative leave from the New Bedford Police Department, and the department is conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.