A Greene County sheriff’s deputy is out of a job and facing criminal charges after an internal audit found she allegedly tapped into the county’s Flock license-plate reader system for personal reasons, officials said Tuesday. The deputy, identified as Quinsha Goss, was arrested and fired on the same day. She now faces criminal counts tied to misuse of automated license-plate data and a violation of her oath of office, while county investigators continue combing through detailed audit logs of her searches.
Audit Flagged Multiple Searches
According to a release reported by CBS Atlanta, a June 30 audit showed Goss accessed the Flock system multiple times over roughly three months. Investigators say at least one license plate was queried without the required law-enforcement justification. She was booked on charges that include violating her oath of office and improperly retaining data obtained from automated license-plate readers.
How Audits Are Catching Misuse
Across Georgia, audits of Flock and other automated license-plate reader systems have been turning up questionable queries and triggering internal probes and criminal referrals, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Vendors now sell software that flags unusual search patterns, but civil-liberties advocates and some law-enforcement officials say that is not enough, calling for independent reviews and clearer statewide rules.
Part of a Wider Wave of Probes
Goss’s arrest lands just days after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged five Albany officers following an internal audit that uncovered alleged misuse of that city’s Flock system, according to CBS Atlanta. Similar investigations in Cherokee and Richmond counties have recently led to firings and arrests, putting fresh scrutiny on who gets access to plate-reading databases and how that access is monitored.
Local Cases Show a Pattern
Last month a Richmond County (Augusta) deputy was fired and arrested after a routine audit found repeated searches that appeared personal, as deputy canned, cuffed. Taken together, the recent cases have rattled public trust and fueled renewed calls for tighter controls on vendor-operated automated license-plate reader networks.
Legal Stakes and State Rules
Georgia law sharply limits how agencies can use ALPR data and how long they can hold on to it. O.C.G.A. §35-1-22 requires law-enforcement agencies to destroy non-investigative plate data within 30 months and makes improper use a criminal offense, per Georgia Code §35-1-22. Local sheriffs and lawmakers, quoted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, say agencies are now weighing tougher internal policies and possible legislative tweaks aimed at cutting down the risk of misuse.
What’s Next
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office says its investigation is still active and that any evidence will be turned over to the district attorney for review. Prosecutors have not said whether they will pursue indictments, and county officials have not released additional details beyond the audit findings and Goss’s arrest.
