Incident 1761: Haines City, Florida, Police Officer Allegedly Used Flock License-Plate Reader System to Track Estranged Wife

Responded

Description: Police officer Christopher Goodson of Haines City, Florida, allegedly used Flock's automated license plate reader records to track his estranged wife's vehicle through 717 searches. Investigators said the searches had no legitimate law-enforcement purpose. He reportedly said he wanted to locate his children while they were with her. He was arrested, and the department announced audits, case-number requirements, and annual training.

Editor Notes: 09/01/2024-06/30/2026: Reviewed search window containing 717 inquiries about the Goodson's wife's vehicle; exact first misuse date unestablished. 08/10/2026: Marked as incident ID date as Goodson disclosed searches to a supervisor; a criminal investigation opened and he was placed on paid leave. 08/11/2026: Arrest and charges reported. 10/18/2026: Incident ID created.

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Entities

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Alleged: Surveillance technology developers , Flock Safety and Automated license plate reader (ALPR) developers developed an AI system deployed by Stalkers , Police officers , Police departments in the United States , Police departments , Law enforcement and Christopher Goodson, which harmed Women and girls , Women , Victims of stalking , Privacy and Individuals whose license plate data were accessed for non-law-enforcement purposes.

Alleged implicated AI systems: Surveillance technology , Law enforcement databases , Flock Safety automated license plate reader system and Automated license plate readers (ALPR)

Incident Stats

Incident ID

1761

Report Count

Incident Date

2026-08-10

Editors

Daniel Atherton

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

Haines City officer arrested for misusing Flock cameras to track estranged wife: Officials

fox13news.com

Haines City police officer accused of using FLOCK cameras to search estranged wife's vehicle over 700 times

tampabay28.com

Haines City police add new safeguards for Flock cameras after officer accused of misuse

tampabay28.com

Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them.

washingtonpost.com

fox13news.com · 2026

Katelyn Massarelli, Carla Bayron post-incident response

HAINES CITY, Fla. - A Haines City police officer is accused of misusing Flock camera databases to track his estranged wife's car, according to officials.

Haines City police investigation

What we know:

The Haines City Police Department said…

tampabay28.com · 2026

HAINES CITY, Fla. — Haines City Police said an officer has been arrested after an investigation revealed FLOCK camera misuse.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Haines City Police Department, an investigation was opened on August 10 …

tampabay28.com · 2026

Chad Mills post-incident response

HAINES CITY, Fla. --- Haines City Police Department is changing how officers use Flock cameras after an officer was accused of repeatedly using the system to track his estranged wife's vehicle.

The department is now requiring formal audits …

washingtonpost.com · 2026

Last month, as Indianapolis residents called for tighter restrictions on police surveillance, Police Chief Tanya Terry sought to reassure the public that her officers were using the 301 Flock cameras spread throughout the city solely to in…

Variants

A "variant" is an AI incident similar to a known case—it has the same causes, harms, and AI system. Instead of listing it separately, we group it under the first reported incident. Unlike other incidents, variants do not need to have been reported outside the AIID. Learn more from the research paper.

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