Did Georgia Law Enforcement Search Your License Plate Without Legal Cause?
Hall & Lampros, LLP has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Flock Safety’s license plate reader network was used by Georgia law enforcement to conduct illegal, warrantless surveillance—including retaliatory searches with no legitimate law enforcement justification. If your plate appears on HaveIBeenFlocked.com and there is no legal investigation supporting such search, you may be a class member.
Murkerson v. Flock Group, Inc., et al.
Hall & Lampros filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Newnan Division. The case alleges that Flock Safety’s platform enabled sheriff’s deputies to illegally surveil a Georgia citizen for months—in direct retaliation for a pending civil rights lawsuit against those same officers—and that Flock failed to build safeguards to stop it.
Key Facts
- 197 days — the surveillance period for the plaintiff’s vehicle under Flock cameras
- 5 searches attributed to Coweta County Sheriff’s Office across 6,000+ agency camera networks nationwide
- 50+ law enforcement officers nationwide accused of misusing Flock ALPR as of August 2026
- 0 legitimate law enforcement justifications entered for the surveillance searches
THE ALLEGATIONS
“We believe this case is the first to allege actual retaliatory animus intended to punish someone for advocating for his own constitutional rights by using Flock cameras to illegally surveil him, invade his privacy, and harass him in clear violation of the law.”
— Christopher B. Hall, Co-Founder & Partner, Hall & Lampros, LLP
“This was not an isolated incident. Each week, there are news headlines in cities across the country where law enforcement officers used Flock in illegal ways to surveil, stalk, harass, search, and invade the privacy of citizens who are going about their everyday lives—without a legitimate law enforcement purpose.”
— Andrew Lampros, Co-Founder & Partner, Hall & Lampros, LLP
Retaliatory Surveillance After a Civil Rights Lawsuit
Tyler Murkerson filed a civil rights lawsuit against Coweta County sheriff’s deputies after they allegedly forced him to the ground, Tasered him, and arrested him in a gas station parking lot over a seatbelt law that doesn’t apply on private property. While that lawsuit was pending, the same county’s deputies used Flock Safety cameras to track his vehicle for nearly 200 days, the lawsuit alleges.
No Legitimate Law Enforcement Purpose
Audit records show the only justifications entered were “info” and “37”—neither corresponds to any investigation, case, incident, warrant, or call for service. Flock’s platform required only free-text input rather than actual case numbers, accepting whatever was typed (on 20 occasions, the Medford, OR police department entered “hehehe” as a search reason).
Flock Failed to Build Adequate Safeguards
Flock Safety accepted free-form text entries without requiring specific case numbers or investigation identifiers, enabling officers to conduct searches with no legitimate justification. The lawsuit alleges Flock knew—or should have known—its platform was being misused and failed to prevent it. Flock has since announced that case codes and misuse detection will be mandatory by the end of 2026.
Physical Surveillance and Harassment
Murkerson noticed an unprecedented presence of sheriff’s deputies near his home, on his commute route, in his business parking lot, and at two roadblocks—one positioned to intercept him specifically. He ended a six-year business relationship with a neighboring police department because he no longer felt safe while being surveilled.
Internal Investigation and Employee Resignations
In August 2026, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office announced that an internal audit flagged employee accounts, that three employees resigned before the audit was completed, and that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked to conduct an independent inquiry.
A Nationwide Pattern of Abuse
At least 50 law enforcement officers nationwide have been charged with or accused of misusing ALPR systems including Flock as of August 2026. This case is not an isolated incident—it is part of a broader pattern of abuse enabled by inadequate controls on the Flock platform.
Against the deputies and sheriff: constitutional civil rights violations and state law claims. Against Flock: negligence, statutory violations, and privacy claims on behalf of the broader class.
- Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA)
- First Amendment — Retaliation
- Fourth Amendment — Illegal Search
- Fourteenth Amendment
- Georgia RICO Act
- Georgia Computer Systems Protection Act
- Georgia ALPR Statute
- Invasion of Privacy
- Negligence
Who May Qualify to Join
The lawsuit seeks class status on behalf of people whose vehicles were searched through Flock’s platform by Georgia law enforcement without any recorded legitimate investigative reason. This is broader than just Mr. Murkerson’s experience—if your plate was queried without cause, you may be a class member.
You May Qualify If:
Your plate appeared on HaveIBeenFlocked.com
…the public site where you can look up whether your vehicle’s plate appears in Flock audit records attributed to a Georgia law enforcement agency with no case or incident number.
You were searched by Georgia law enforcement via Flock without cause
…a search lacking a legitimate case number, incident report, warrant, or call for service may have been unlawful.
You experienced surveillance or unexplained police contact
…unusual law enforcement presence near your home or workplace, repeated roadblocks, or unexplained stops may indicate you were placed on a Flock “hot list.”
You were retaliated against for a lawsuit or complaint
…if you sued or filed a complaint against law enforcement and subsequently noticed surveillance, the timing may be more than coincidence.
CHECK YOUR PLATE: Visit HaveIBeenFlocked.com (www.haveibeenflocked.com) to look up whether your vehicle appears in Flock audit records, then contact us to discuss what you found.
⚠ TIME LIMITS APPLY — Civil rights and privacy claims are subject to statutes of limitations. If you believe you may have been illegally searched or surveilled, contact Hall & Lampros as soon as possible for a free consultation before any deadline passes. Do not wait.
What Class Members May Be Entitled To
Depending on the specific claims and facts, class members may be entitled to several categories of relief. Hall & Lampros handles this case on contingency—you pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Statutory Damages
Federal laws like the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act provide for statutory damages per violation, which may be significant even without proof of specific monetary harm.
Constitutional Damages
Violations of First and Fourth Amendment rights can entitle plaintiffs to compensatory damages for harm to liberty, privacy, and the chilling of constitutional rights.
Damages for Harm Suffered
Emotional distress, loss of business, the burden of altering your daily life to avoid surveillance, and other concrete harms caused by unlawful searches may be compensable.
Punitive Damages
Where courts find willful or malicious conduct—such as deliberate retaliatory surveillance—punitive damages may be available to deter future misconduct.
Injunctive Relief
The lawsuit also seeks to compel Flock and law enforcement agencies to implement meaningful safeguards—real case codes, independent auditing, and accountability mechanisms—to prevent future abuse.
Attorneys' Fees & Costs
Federal civil rights statutes typically allow prevailing plaintiffs to recover attorneys’ fees and litigation costs from defendants, reducing the financial burden on class members.
How to Get Involved
Joining a class action lawsuit doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s what to expect when you contact Hall & Lampros.
1. Free Confidential Consultation – Contact us by phone, email, or the form at hallandlampros.com. Your inquiry is privileged and confidential. An attorney or intake specialist will discuss your situation and whether you may be a class member.
2. Case Evaluation – We’ll review the facts of your situation, pull Flock audit records where available, and assess your potential claims under the legal theories in the complaint.
3. Class Membership – If you qualify, you may be added to the class or named as an additional plaintiff depending on the strength and uniqueness of your facts. You’ll receive updates as the case progresses.
4. No Fee Unless We Win – Hall & Lampros handles class action cases on a contingency fee basis. You owe nothing unless there is a recovery. Court costs and attorneys’ fees are typically recoverable from defendants.
Common Questions About the Case
What is Flock Safety and how does its ALPR system work? ▾
Flock Safety manufactures and operates a network of fixed automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. The cameras continuously photograph passing vehicles and record license plates, which are cross-referenced against law enforcement databases. Officers can also run a specific plate through the network to locate a vehicle or check its history. The lawsuit alleges that Flock offered law enforcement access to over 6,000 agency camera networks nationwide with inadequate controls on when and why searches could be conducted.
What is HaveIBeenFlocked.com, and should I check it? ▾
HaveIBeenFlocked.com is a public website where individuals can search whether their vehicle’s license plate appears in Flock’s audit logs—records of when law enforcement agencies ran plate searches. If your plate appears in results attributed to a Georgia law enforcement agency with no case or incident number recorded, that search may have been unlawful. We encourage anyone concerned about surveillance to check the site and then contact us to discuss what they find.
Is it illegal for police to run my license plate through Flock? ▾
Running a vehicle’s plate and identity through law enforcement databases for a non-law-enforcement purpose is a crime in Georgia. Obtaining personal information from a motor vehicle record for an impermissible purpose is also a violation of federal law (the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act). Officers who use Flock to retaliate against a citizen, harass someone, or conduct searches without any investigative basis may face civil and criminal liability.
Does it matter if I did not have a lawsuit against the police? ▾
The class is not limited to people with existing lawsuits. The broader class includes anyone whose vehicle was searched through Flock by a Georgia law enforcement agency without a recorded legitimate investigative justification. If your plate was queried without a real reason, you may qualify regardless of whether you had any prior contact with law enforcement.
What will it cost me to join the class action? ▾
Nothing up front. Hall & Lampros handles this case on a contingency fee basis—we only get paid if we win a recovery for the class. Federal civil rights laws also allow the court to require defendants to pay plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and costs if plaintiffs prevail, which further reduces the financial burden on class members.
Why is this case significant beyond Mr. Murkerson's situation? ▾
This lawsuit is believed to be the first to allege that officers used Flock to retaliate against someone for suing them. It challenges Flock’s platform-level failures—not just individual officer misconduct—and seeks systemic changes to how ALPR searches are logged, justified, and audited. A successful outcome could require Flock to implement meaningful accountability tools across its entire law enforcement customer base.
Hall & Lampros, LLP
Founded in 2003 by Christopher B. Hall and Andrew Lampros, Hall & Lampros has become one of the leading civil litigation firms in the Southeast. The firm specializes in class actions, civil rights, employment law, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death cases—and has obtained numerous multimillion-dollar settlements and jury verdicts for clients nationwide.
The firm’s civil rights practice represents individuals whose constitutional rights have been violated by government actors. The Murkerson v. Flock case combines Hall & Lampros’s deep experience in civil rights litigation with its class action expertise to challenge both individual misconduct and systemic failures in the law enforcement technology industry.
Get a Free, Confidential Case Review
If you believe your vehicle was searched through Flock Safety by Georgia law enforcement without a legitimate reason—or if your plate appears on HaveIBeenFlocked.com—contact Hall & Lampros today. There is no fee for a consultation and no obligation.
Phone: (404) 876-8100
Email: info@hallandlampros.com
Web: hallandlampros.com/current-cases-investigations/
Address: 300 Galleria Pkwy, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30339
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. This document is attorney advertising by Hall & Lampros, LLP. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contacting Hall & Lampros does not create an attorney-client relationship. Hall & Lampros, LLP is licensed to practice law in Georgia.
Case: Murkerson v. Flock Group, Inc., et al., No.3:26-cv-00223-LMM, U.S. District Court, N.D. Ga. — Newnan Division
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