Athens police employee fired, facing criminal investigation for allegedly misusing Flock cameras

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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — An employee of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) was fired for allegedly misusing the department’s Flock camera system by repeatedly looking up his ex-wife’s license plate.

On Thursday, Athens police received a complaint from the ex-wife of ACCPD Criminal Intelligence Analyst Supervisor Nick Barker, alleging that Barker had misused the department’s Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) system.

ACCPD investigators found that Barker, a non-sworn civilian employee, improperly used the ALPR system to search the license plate of his ex-wife’s vehicle “numerous times” over the course of several months in 2025.

The department said its Flock policy strictly prohibits use for personal or non-law enforcement purposes. Because Barker allegedly violated the policy, Police Chief Jerry Saulters took immediate steps to terminate his employment.

ACCPD has asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to conduct an independent criminal investigation. The ACCPD Office of Professional Standards also continues its separate administrative investigation.

Barker is the latest north Georgia law enforcement official to face accusations of misusing Flock cameras. Dozens of law enforcement officers have been fired and charged after their superiors said they abused the Atlanta-based Flock camera license plate tracking system.

Chief Saulters released the following statement:

“Trust is the foundation of our relationship with the community we serve, and there is no greater responsibility than protecting that trust. I am deeply disappointed by the former employee’s actions and their impact on the confidence our community places in this department. Conduct that compromises that trust has no place within the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, and we will continue to hold our employees to the highest standards of integrity and accountability. To that end, I am committed to moving forward with a complete examination of ACCPD’s ALPR technology and how we use these systems.”

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