CMPD Officer Arrested for Misusing Flock Cameras
NC SBI charged Seth Elliot with illegally accessing a government computer
The NC State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has arrested a CMPD officer for accessing the Flock camera system for non-law enforcement purposes, CMPD announced on Wednesday.
The SBI discovered during an unrelated investigation on June 18 that CMPD officer Seth Elliot improperly accessed the Flock surveillance system and its corresponding Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Automated Data Services (CJLEADS) database.
Investigators believe Elliot accessed the system once on June 16.
On June 22, Elliott was placed on paid administrative assignment while his equipment and access to any “systems with criminal intelligence information” was revoked pending the outcome of SBI’s investigation.
SBI arrested Elliot on Tuesday, July 29, 2026, and charged him with illegally accessing a government computer, a Class 1 misdemeanor. He’s now been placed on unpaid administrative leave.
Elliot allegedly ran an “unauthorized query” of a North Carolina license plate registration, according to a release from SBI.
CMPD hired Elliot in February 2024. He is currently assigned to the University City Division, according to the department.
“The public expects and deserves the highest level of integrity from every officer who wears the CMPD badge,” CMPD Chief Estella Patterson stated in a release from the department on Wednesday. “Misusing law enforcement technology or accessing confidential information for non-law enforcement purposes is a betrayal of the public’s trust and a violation of everything this profession stands for. We will not tolerate that kind of misconduct, and anyone who violates that trust will be held fully accountable.”
In its release, CMPD clarified that it does not own nor operate Flock cameras or devices, though the department does have a memorandum of understanding with Flock Safety that allows officers access to Flock devices owned by other agencies and entities at no charge.
There are at least 32 agencies utilizing Flock cameras or other types of license plate readers across the state, though the SBI is pushing for lawmakers to support the increased use of such technology, according to reporting from WBTV in May.
It’s not just law enforcement agencies; as early as 2020 neighborhood associations in and around Charlotte were installing cameras to surveil cars that drive through their communities, as described in this story from WCNC.
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