A Georgia Cop Used Flock to Track 2 Other Cops: His Ex and Her Friend

In recent months, there has been a surge in reports of police officers misusing automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) sold by Flock Safety to stalk former romantic partners—but details about these incidents are often scarce.

Now, with documents obtained via a public records request, WIRED can reveal specific details about one extensive Flock-fueled surveillance campaign and the subsequent investigation and fallout.

Dustin Bozzo, who until this month worked as a patrolman in the Atlanta-area suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia, allegedly used Flock 56 times between March and May to search for the license plate of a former romantic partner—a fellow member of the Alpharetta Police Department. (Their relationship itself violated the city’s ban on workplace dating, documents show.) When Bozzo noticed that his ex’s car was often near that of another police officer, he began searching for that officer’s vehicle as well. He did so 29 times between March and May.

Lieutenant Jason Hiott of the Alpharetta Police Department tells WIRED that Bozzo was placed on paid leave on July 20 and resigned on August 5 following an internal investigation. He adds that an “ongoing criminal investigation” is underway in the department's Criminal Investigations Division.

Alpharetta police chief Trent Lindgren tells WIRED that the investigation will likely be finished soon, adding that the department holds itself to a “high standard,” and took “immediate action” when misuse was identified. Flock did not respond to a request for comment.

Bozzo did not respond to multiple requests for comment. He changed his Facebook profile picture and name after WIRED messaged him on the platform.

In the civilian world, a breakup may tempt people to check up on their former lovers by pulling up their social media profiles. But in the police world, many officers have instant access to Flock—a powerful, informative, and invasive tool for tracking people’s locations. Across the country, there have been at least 45 documented incidents of police officers misusing Flock in order to look up or track current or former romantic partners.

According to the documents—which include the full internal report written by Alpharetta police Sergeant Jabbar Braithwaite—Bozzo says that he didn’t use Flock with the intent to intimidate or cause harm. The sequence of events they describe nonetheless show that even in such a case, the misuse of this technology can quickly and easily escalate into a serious offense.