A Lufkin, Texas police officer has been indicted on 100 felony counts after an investigation into his use of Flock Safety’s automated license plate reader system revealed an extraordinary volume of searches, including nearly 3,500 lookups of a single licence plate. According to court records and audit logs reviewed by the Houston Chronicle and local Texas outlets, 32-year-old Officer Zachary Anthony Klein conducted more than 45,000 searches over roughly 200 days, far exceeding typical usage patterns in the department. He was charged last week with misuse of official information, prompting the Lufkin Police Department to suspend its use of Flock entirely and call in the Texas Rangers for an independent review. The case has reignited debates over surveillance, privacy and accountability as similar allegations surface in other Texas cities.An unusually high volume of searchesAccording to a Chron review of audit logs published on the Have I Been Flocked platform, Klein conducted approximately 45,318 license plate reader searches between May 2024 and December 2025. That averages to about 1,258 searches per week, or roughly 74 searches per day, over the period reviewed.His profile shows he conducted more searches than any other officer in the Lufkin Police Department. By comparison, one of the Houston Police Department’s most frequent Flock users conducted only 361 searches a week, according to the same data.The database also reveals that Klein looked up the same four licence plates thousands of times, with one plate searched a total of 3,470 times in the course of a year. Flock requires officers to provide a reason for each search, such as kidnapping, robbery or auto theft. However, on Klein’s profile, the only reason he listed was “investigation.”Indictment and arrestAn Angelina County grand jury indicted Klein last week on 100 felony counts of misuse of official information related to the Flock license plate reader system, according to local reporting. He was arrested and booked into the Angelina County Jail on August 20, with bail set at $700,000.It remains unclear whether the highlighted licence plates belonged to people Klein knew personally, as the Chron has not confirmed the identities behind the most-searched plates. The department has not released detailed specifics about the targets of the searches beyond what appears in the public audit logs.Department suspends Flock, calls in Texas RangersIn response to the findings, Lufkin Police Chief Travis Brazil said the department has suspended its use of Flock entirely while internal affairs officers conduct an investigation. A second Lufkin officer has been placed on administrative leave following the investigation, according to the chief’s statement.Chief Brazil has also called on the Texas Rangers to perform a separate, independent investigation into the matter. The City of Lufkin originally approved the Flock camera system for departmental use in 2023, intending the AI-assisted surveillance technology to capture licence plates and vehicle details that may help generate leads into criminal investigations.Part of a broader pattern in TexasLufkin is now about the seventh Texas law enforcement agency in recent months to investigate allegations of officer misconduct related to Flock, according to the Chron. Several cases have involved allegations that officers used the network to stalk people in their personal lives, underscoring the growing privacy concerns citizens frequently associate with Flock.The rapid deployment of Flock cameras in neighborhoods, public roads and shopping centers has prompted cases where officers can use the network to track people and build a profile of their location history. Civil rights advocates say that level of surveillance typically requires a warrant, and in bad-faith scenarios, officers are accused of using it to stalk romantic partners or close associates, as per reports.Flock responds with new accountability featuresFlock Safety CEO Garrett Langley has addressed the issue in a recent interview with The Washington Post, acknowledging the risks that come with giving law enforcement powerful search tools.“It gets to this issue that when you are given power, which many people are, particularly in law enforcement, you should have higher standards of accountability,” Langley said, as per reports. “And so, I don’t think Flock created police abuse. I think we’re the first company to ever shine a light on it and build the tools to find it.”Langley said Flock is rolling out new features intended to increase accountability, including an internal audit system designed to flag unusual officer searches. The company has also reduced its standard data-retention period from 30 days to seven days, with some exceptions for ongoing investigations. Flock’s national law enforcement search system now also requires users to enter a case code before conducting a search.What happens next in LufkinFor now, the criminal case against Klein will proceed through the Angelina County courts, while the Texas Rangers conduct their independent review. The internal affairs investigation within the Lufkin Police Department is ongoing, and the department has not indicated whether additional disciplinary actions beyond the suspension of Flock and the administrative leave of a second officer are planned.The case is likely to intensify local debate over the use of automated licence plate readers and the safeguards needed to prevent misuse. As more audit logs become publicly accessible through platforms like Have I Been Flocked, communities and oversight bodies may push for stricter policies, more frequent audits and clearer consequences for officers who abuse access to surveillance databases.
