Stow officer quits before hearing after abusing license-plate reader and police databases
Officer Jason Rogers resigned hours before a termination hearing after an internal probe found he used the town’s Flock Safety license-plate system and state databases to track a former partner.
Following a formal complaint filed on June 18, Stow Police Department put Officer Jason Rogers on paid administrative leave and disabled his access to internal systems. An internal affairs investigation later concluded that Rogers illegally accessed Criminal Offender Record Information through the CJIS system on several occasions and used the Flock Safety automated license-plate reader to obtain vehicle data about his ex-partner without any legitimate police purpose.
The findings supported charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and other policy violations. Rogers resigned just hours before a scheduled termination hearing on August 26, ending the employment proceeding but not the criminal case or one outlet Commission’s certification review. In response, Stow terminated its agreement with Flock Safety and dismantled the town’s last Flock camera, while the police chief promised new oversight policies. The case has been referred to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution, and one outlet Commission may revoke Rogers’ certification.
Why it matters
The incident highlights risks of police misuse of surveillance technology and prompts tighter oversight of such tools.
How this story developed
- Jul 9 Flock Safety CEO brands transparency group as 'terrorist' amid AI camera controversy
- Aug 8 The Navajo Nation signed a contract to deploy Flock cameras across its reservation.
- Aug 12 Authorities found solar‑panel parts linked to Flock cameras during a search of Sovern’s residence.
- Aug 13 Flock Safety announced it will keep license-plate-reader footage for only seven days and require police to log a case code for every query.
- Aug 13 Former Bibb County sheriff’s deputies were arrested on stalking charges for using Flock license‑plate readers for personal purposes.
- Aug 13 Flock made its audit tool mandatory and reduced the default retention window to seven days.
- Aug 18 Park rangers reported Flock cameras appearing in several national forests.
- Aug 19 West Virginia legislator Chris Anders introduced a bill to ban Flock Safety cameras on constitutional grounds.
- Aug 21 New Bedford Police Department shut down its entire Flock camera system after discovering repeated unauthorized plate searches.
- Aug 26 Texas residents rallied at a Harris County meeting to demand stronger privacy protections for Flock cameras.
- Aug 26 A clerical error in Milwaukee’s Flock camera database led to a gunpoint traffic stop, prompting the driver to hire counsel and submit a notice of claim against the city and police department.
- Aug 26 Legislators have moved to propose bans or funding cuts for Flock Safety’s camera systems.
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