A New ALPR Misuse Case With National Implications

WSB-TV in Atlanta reports that Sandy Springs Reserve Sgt. Francis Esposito was terminated after an internal investigation found he used the city’s Flock Safety license plate reader system for personal gain—and allegedly to support a private company he also worked for. Investigators said Esposito accessed multiple individuals’ plate data through his city login and may have transferred information to Signal 8 Systems, a firm conducting tech development and beta testing.

City officials referred the case to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council, where Esposito could be barred from future police employment.

What Investigators Found

According to the WSB-TV reporting:

  • Esposito used Sandy Springs’ Flock ALPR system to run plates of multiple people,
  • Investigators suspected he shared or attempted to share data with an outside company,
  • A whistleblower from Signal 8 claimed Flock data was used for beta testing and product validation,
  • Esposito refused to answer investigator questions and attempted to resign,
  • The city listed him as terminated, not resigned.

Experts interviewed by WSB-TV described the behavior as a clear violation of policy and potentially multiple Georgia laws, including corporate espionage.

Flock Data as a Private-Sector Commodity

Emory University professor Rajiv Garg told WSB-TV that plate-tracking data is a "gold mine" for startups and private sector firms trying to expand. That financial incentive—combined with ALPR systems that often lack strong audits—creates a risk environment where personal, commercial, or political misuse becomes attractive and difficult to detect.

The Whistleblower's Role

The misconduct was exposed by a former Signal 8 employee who reported that Flock data had been used internally for product testing. This illustrates a recurring pattern seen in ALPR misuse cases nationwide: violations tend to be uncovered only when a whistleblower comes forward or when an officer is already under unrelated investigation.

Why This Matters for Indiana

Indiana has more than 1,300 known ALPR cameras, most supplied by the same vendor at the center of this Georgia incident. But unlike Georgia—which at least has decertification processes—Indiana has no statewide ALPR law at all. That means:

  • No statewide retention limits,
  • No statewide auditing rules,
  • No statewide reporting requirements,
  • No statewide penalties for misuse,
  • No uniform transparency about when or how officers access plate data.

In Indiana today, an officer could:

  • Look up someone’s plate without legitimate cause,
  • Use the data for personal, political, or commercial purposes,
  • Log false or misleading justifications,
  • Share information with outside entities,
  • Avoid detection unless caught by a whistleblower.

The Georgia case is not an outlier—it’s the predictable consequence of leaving powerful location-tracking systems without consistent statewide guardrails.

What This Case Reveals About ALPR Vulnerabilities

The Sandy Springs investigation demonstrates that:

  • Internal policies alone cannot prevent misuse,
  • Officers can access highly sensitive data with little friction,
  • External incentives (corporate, personal, or political) increase misuse risk,
  • Oversight is often reactive rather than proactive,
  • Detection often depends on luck—not systematic accountability.

ALPR data reveals when someone leaves home, where they go, who they meet, and what routines they follow. Without strict controls, it can become an unregulated tracking tool.

How Indiana Can Prevent the Same Problem

Indiana can avoid Georgia-style misuse by adopting statewide ALPR rules requiring:

  • Short, uniform data retention limits,
  • Mandatory audit logs and periodic review,
  • Criminal and administrative penalties for misuse,
  • Public reporting of ALPR search volumes and hits,
  • Transparent limits on data sharing with external agencies and companies,
  • Clear purpose restrictions defining when searches may be performed.

These standards protect both residents and responsible law enforcement by providing clarity, consistency, and accountability.

The Takeaway for Indiana

What happened in Georgia could happen in Indiana tomorrow. When one officer can access statewide location history without strong oversight, the risk of personal, political, or commercial misuse is built into the system.

How Hoosiers Can Help

  • Sign the petition supporting statewide ALPR regulations: eyesoffindiana.org/petition
  • Share this article with friends and local officials,
  • Encourage lawmakers to adopt retention limits, audit requirements, and transparency rules.

Indiana can harness ALPR technology responsibly, but that requires clear, statewide protections.