A Savannah officer handed her Flock login to her ICE agent husband

Amber Harpe, formerly with the Savannah Police Department (SPD), was fired in August following an internal investigation. The probe concluded that she had handed her Flock login credentials to her husband, Tyler Harpe, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Flock is a network of automated license-plate readers. SPD does not share its Flock data with ICE, and the department stressed that granting access to the system violated its security protocols.

While he held unauthorized access, Tyler Harpe ran 983 searches tied to 97 license plates. According to Savannah's local ABC affiliate, WJCL, the overwhelming majority of those vehicles were registered to Hispanic drivers. The couple defended their actions, insisting they had not used the access for personal reasons and that the searches were strictly for "law-enforcement purposes."

The outcome was not a foregone conclusion. Interim Major Max Nowinsky initially recommended a light penalty — an eight-hour suspension. But Major Michelle Halford and Assistant Police Chief Robert Gavin disagreed and pushed for her removal.

Harpe was dismissed along with five other SPD employees after the investigation uncovered misuse of Flock. Four of them were later arrested; Harpe, however, was not among them.

Source: The Verge