A former Acworth and Emerson police officer faces criminal charges for allegedly misusing the Flock Safety license plate reader system for non-law enforcement purposes.
Anthony Trapani, 32, of Rockmart turned himself in Monday, Sept. 14, and was booked into the Cobb County Jail, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced. The GBI charged Trapani with two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and violation of oath of office.
The Acworth Police Department requested the GBI investigation. The GBI said preliminary information indicates Trapani used the Acworth department's Flock Safety system for non-law enforcement purposes while employed there. The alleged misuse continued after Trapani transferred to the Emerson Police Department in 2025, according to the GBI.
The investigation remains active. Once complete, the case file will go to both the Bartow County District Attorney's Office and the Cobb County District Attorney's Office for prosecution.
At least 14 arrested statewide for Flock misuse
The arrest adds to a growing list of Flock-related criminal cases across Georgia. As of Aug. 26, at least 14 people had been arrested statewide for misusing the cameras, the Georgia Recorder reported. State law restricts use of the readers to official law enforcement purposes.
The Trapani case comes two weeks after Cobb County Police Chief Dan Ferrell addressed nearly 200 residents at an Aug. 31 town hall at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center. Ferrell told the crowd that Cobb Police, which operate 182 Flock cameras, conduct monthly and annual audits of searches and delete data after 30 days unless needed for an active investigation.
"The risk of misuse is real and the concerns are legitimate," Ferrell said at the Aug. 31 town hall, as East Cobb News reported.
The Trapani charges involve the Acworth and Emerson police departments, not Cobb County Police. No statement from Acworth Police, Emerson Police or an attorney for Trapani appeared in public records as of Sept. 14.
Lawmakers, Flock Safety respond
State Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican who chairs the Senate's public safety committee, has said he is working with the Georgia Sheriffs' Association and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police on a task force to address the misuse problem. Albers has left open the possibility of a legislative fix next year, the Georgia Recorder reported.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley has announced the company will lower the data retention window from 30 days to seven, automatically suspend users who appear to be misusing the system and require officers to enter a case number or specify a crime type when searching the database, the Georgia Recorder reported.
A fourth and final Cobb County Police town hall on Flock cameras is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the North Cobb Senior Center, 3900 S. Main St., Acworth, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Anyone with information about the Trapani case can contact the GBI's Atlanta Regional Investigative Office at 770-388-5019 or submit anonymous tips at 1-800-597-8477.
