A Habersham County deputy is out of a job and facing criminal charges after an internal audit allegedly caught him using the county’s Flock license-plate reader system to search for someone in a personal relationship. The case is the latest Georgia episode in which a crime-fighting tool has exposed the risks of giving officers access to searchable vehicle-location data.
Christian Brewer was charged with one felony count of violating his oath of office and two misdemeanor counts of misusing license plate data, according to Atlanta News First. Brewer joined the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office in May 2024, and Sheriff Robin Krockum said the alleged misuse betrayed the public’s trust.
Georgia Law Limits Plate Data To Police Work
Georgia law allows agencies to collect automated license plate reader data, but says it may be accessed only for a law-enforcement purpose. The statute also makes knowingly obtaining or using that data for another purpose a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, according to the Georgia Code.
The timing of Brewer’s arrest is notable because Flock Safety rolled out an “audit assistance” feature in April that uses artificial intelligence to flag searches that may fall outside an agency’s rules. Atlanta News First Investigates identified at least 19 Georgia cases in the past year involving alleged personal searches, including accusations of stalking.
Habersham Case Joins Wider Georgia Crackdown
Brewer is one of several Georgia law enforcement officers recently fired, arrested or both over alleged personal use of Flock systems. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the cases include a DeKalb County deputy, three Fayetteville officers and earlier arrests involving Cherokee County deputies.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation also said five former Albany police officers were arrested July 6 after an internal audit found they had accessed the Flock system multiple times for alleged non-law-enforcement purposes. The GBI said that investigation remains active, underscoring that the recent firings and arrests are not necessarily the end of the cases.
Charges Remain Allegations As Investigation Continues
Brewer’s charges are allegations, and the case has not been resolved in court. Habersham officials have not publicly detailed the searches beyond saying they involved someone with whom Brewer had a personal relationship.
Krockum has defended Flock’s legitimate uses, saying the system has helped locate missing children and stolen cars. The growing number of disciplinary cases, however, puts the focus squarely on whether audits can keep private searches from hiding inside a powerful public-safety database.
