South Fulton leaders push for state guardrails on Flock cameras
South Fulton leaders push Flock camera guardrails
State Sen. Jaha Howard and South Fulton Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs hosted a public forum at the Southwest Arts Center to push for state guardrails on automatic license plate readers after 40 Georgia officers were fired for misusing Flock cameras.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - South Fulton leaders and state lawmakers are pushing for new statewide guardrails on Flock surveillance cameras after dozens of Georgia police officers were caught misusing the license plate reader system for personal gain.
Legislative reform efforts
What we know:
South Fulton Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs and state Sen. Jaha Howard announced a joint push to limit who can access Flock camera databases and establish legal consequences for those who abuse the technology.
The effort comes after police departments across Georgia terminated 40 law enforcement officers for running unauthorized searches on the camera network for personal reasons.
While local departments enforce internal policies that can lead to suspensions or termination, officials pointed out that officers who violate department rules do not necessarily break Georgia criminal law under current statutes. Howard is gathering feedback from residents to draft and introduce state legislation when lawmakers return to the Capitol in January.
What they're saying:
Howard emphasized that any effective state law must focus on restricting database access and closing loopholes that enable improper searches.
"Specifically, we can talk about two things: Access and accountability," Howard said. "We are responding across the state to have limited access. You should be doing a real investigation."
Gumbs stressed that accountability is critical to protecting personal privacy, especially for women concerned about stalking or harassment.
"For me accountability is important. As a female and as many women, they want to make sure their safety is of the utmost importance," Gumbs said. "For me it is important to put guardrails. We don't want people out there doing things that are unlawful."
Gumbs added that departmental discipline is not enough to deter bad actors if state criminal law does not penalize camera abuse.
Howard noted that community feedback will guide the drafting of the upcoming bill, saying, "I found folks who have the best ideas aren't the elected officials. The best ideas come from everyday folks."
Proposed camera legislation timeline
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the specific text of the proposed January legislation or outlined what potential criminal penalties might be tied to unauthorized camera searches.
Flock Safety has also not publicly detailed what software or security updates it plans to discuss during the panel.
Flock camera privacy town hall planned
What's next:
Gumbs and Howard are hosting a "Talk Around Town" community forum Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Southwest Arts Center in South Fulton.
The discussion includes a panel featuring public safety experts, a Flock representative, and a Georgia Tech professor, with feedback shaping the bill planned for January.