Georgia man says Coweta deputies used Flock cameras to track him after he sued them – CBS News

Georgia man says Coweta deputies used Flock cameras to track him after he sued them  CBS News

A Georgia man is suing Flock Safety and Coweta County officials, alleging deputies used license plate cameras to track him in retaliation for an earlier lawsuit accusing them of excessive force.Tyler Murkerson filed the proposed class-action lawsuit on Oct. 8 in federal court in Newnan. It names Flock Group, which operates as Flock Safety, Coweta County, Sheriff Lenn Wood and sheriff's deputies as defendants.The lawsuit alleges deputies searched Murkerson's vehicle information without a legitimate investigative reason while his earlier civil rights case was pending. It also accuses Flock of failing to require safeguards that could prevent improper searches.According to the complaint, audit records show five searches attributed to the Coweta County Sheriff's Office that spanned more than 6,000 agency camera networks nationwide.

The lawsuit describes a 197-day surveillance period involving Murkerson's vehicle.The only disclosed reasons entered for the searches were "info" and "37," neither of which identified an investigation, according to the lawsuit. Murkerson also alleges his vehicle was placed on an alert list that would notify users when it passed a camera.Murkerson's earlier lawsuit stemmed from a 2023 encounter in a gas station parking lot. He alleged deputies forced him to the ground, used a Taser on him and arrested him over an alleged seat belt violation. Criminal charges against him were dismissed in June 2023, and the civil