A former East Texas police officer was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to 100 counts of misuse of official information for using Flock cameras and other law enforcement databases to monitor his former romantic partner and others.
Flock Safety operates automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras that capture images of vehicles and license plates, allowing participating law enforcement agencies to search the data during criminal investigations. The system also allows agencies to share and search data collected by other participating law enforcement agencies.
Since these searches can be completed without a warrant, citizens have been raising concerns over potential violations of the Fourth Amendment.
Zachary Klein, a former patrolman with the Lufkin Police Department, used the Flock system more than 25,000 times for non-law enforcement purposes, according to the Angelina County District Attorney’s Office. About 18,000 of those searches involved three individuals between July 2024 and May 2026.
Local media outlet KETK reported the searches were conducted on his former romantic partner, her family members, and people she has or had romantic relationships with, according to prosecutors.
“We were having a hard time determining when he was actually sleeping because there wasn’t a whole lot of time between his searches,” Angelina County District Attorney Amy Wren said.
Prosecutors agreed not to pursue additional charges, including stalking. Klein did agree to a lifetime protective order involving his former girlfriend, with the underlying basis of the order being stalking, according to the DA’s office.
The Lufkin case comes as Flock cameras face increased scrutiny across Texas.
“The facts of this case demonstrate a dangerous convergence of access, capability, and threatening behavior,” the Angelina County District Attorney’s Office said. “The effect on the victims, the undermining of public trust, and the disruption in tools available to law enforcement for legitimate law enforcement purposes cannot be ignored.”
In September, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation to suspend permits for Flock cameras and other ALPRs on state-owned roads. The move followed Abbott’s August decision to pause state funding for Flock cameras.
Texas lawmakers are expected to consider potential regulations for Flock’s automated license plate readers and other ALPR systems during the 2027 legislative session.
