A police officer in Massachusetts is on leave after being accused of using the department’s Flock camera system to track her ex-girlfriend, a restraining order revealed. The restraining order request was filed by the ex-girlfriend of New Bedford police Officer Emily Pacheco.

It says Pacheco was harassing and stalking her after a breakup, noting, ‘there is an open (internal affairs) investigation of her running my license plate through Flock to follow me.’ Flock cameras are mounted along public roads and take images of license plates and other vehicle characteristics for a database that is sold as a tool to help solve crimes.

Investigation and Response

The incident with Pacheco is one of several investigations into misuses of Flock cameras at the New Bedford Police Department, according to Police Chief Jason Thody, who has suspended its use within the department. There have been mounting privacy concerns about Flock nationwide, along with reports of abuse by police.

A blog post from the company’s CEO Garrett Langley announced new measures to strengthen privacy, accountability, and security. Those measures include requiring customers to use an auditing tool to flag abnormal search behavior, retaining license plate information for a week instead of a month, and giving cities and towns more control over data-sharing with other agencies.

In the case of Pacheco, a judge extended the restraining order for six months, as well as extending an order for Pacheco to surrender her firearms.

Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.