Apache Junction officer resigns amid investigation into plate reader misuse

Apache Junction’s police department says a former officer misused a powerful surveillance tool to locate his wife, then resigned before the department could complete proceedings to fire him. The incident does not involve a Tucson police employee, but it has implications for Tucson residents and other Arizonans who travel through communities using automated license plate reader systems. The case raises questions about who can access vehicle location information, what qualifies as an authorized police purpose, and whether existing safeguards are strong enough to prevent personal use.

The officer used Apache Junction Police Department technology to search for his wife’s vehicle, according to Police Chief Michael Pooley. The department identified the technology as an Automated License Plate Reader system, with the cameras supplied by Flock Safety. The officer asked two department dispatchers to run his wife’s license plate, presenting the request as a welfare check. The dispatchers completed the request but became concerned about the circumstances and alerted a supervisor, setting the department’s internal review in motion.

At roughly the same time, the officer contacted Casa Grande police and requested a welfare check involving his wife. During that conversation, he disclosed that he had already used Apache Junction’s Flock cameras to track her vehicle to Casa Grande, according to Pooley. Casa Grande police promptly notified Apache Junction about the disclosure. The involvement of another police agency helped bring the conduct to the department’s attention and confirmed that the search had extended beyond a routine, authorized law enforcement inquiry.

The department began its internal investigation the next day, April 20, and placed the officer on administrative leave immediately, Pooley said. Investigators concluded their work roughly two weeks before Monday’s briefing. The officer resigned soon afterward, before the termination process was finished. Pooley said the department would have fired him if he had remained employed through the proceedings. The officer’s name was not released in the information provided, and no criminal charges were identified.

Apache Junction police said employees are entrusted with access to databases and systems containing sensitive information. That access, the department said, is limited to legitimate and authorized police work. In this case, investigators determined that the officer accessed law enforcement technology for a personal reason unrelated to an official investigation or police business. The department’s review also examined the conduct of the dispatchers who handled the request, although the available information does not say that either dispatcher faced discipline.

The department has defended continuing to use the cameras. Pooley said the incident would not lead Apache Junction to change its Flock program, pointing to cases in which the technology has helped solve crimes and locate missing people. Automated license plate readers can help police identify vehicles connected to investigations or find vehicles of interest. Their use also means officers and other authorized personnel may be able to retrieve information about where a vehicle was detected, making access controls and auditing an important part of the system.

That balance is especially relevant across Arizona, including for people from Tucson who drive to the Phoenix area, Pinal County or other communities where plate readers operate. A vehicle detection system can assist with public safety, but a misuse allegation shows how the same information can be redirected toward a private dispute or personal concern. Residents generally have no direct role in deciding when a plate is scanned or who may search the resulting records, so department policies and internal reporting procedures become the primary protections against unauthorized access.

The Apache Junction case arrived as other Arizona communities reconsidered their relationships with Flock Safety. Chandler recently stopped using the cameras after an audit identified what the city described as an anomaly, prompting an investigation involving a police department employee. Pinal County decided not to renew its contract with the company, while Flagstaff and Sedona ended their Flock agreements the previous year. Those decisions have contributed to broader scrutiny of license plate reader technology in Arizona and around the country.

Apache Junction’s police briefing was intended to explain how the department uses the system, what information it gathers, and the policies governing employee access. The department has not announced a change to its camera program or described additional restrictions resulting from the investigation. For now, the stated outcome is the officer’s resignation and the department’s reaffirmation that law enforcement databases and surveillance tools must be used only for official purposes. The case leaves communities, including Tucson, watching whether other agencies respond with stronger audits, tighter access rules or decisions to discontinue the technology.