Flocked-Up: Florida Cop Allegedly Used Flock 717 Times to Track His Estranged Wife

A Haines City, Florida, police officer thought he had a pretty good thing going: a government-funded surveillance network, no warrant required, and an estranged wife who had no idea she was being watched. Investigators say he searched for her vehicle hundreds of times over nearly two years.

Haines City Police Officer Christopher Goodson, 31, was arrested Aug. 11. Investigators say he searched for his estranged wife's vehicle 717 times in the Flock Safety database between Sept. 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026. Some searches were made while Goodson was on duty. Others were made while he was off duty, according to the arrest affidavit.

The investigation started after Goodson went to a supervisor, according to the affidavit. He had received a text saying his estranged wife had been contacted by reporters about his use of Flock. Goodson acknowledged making what he described as several searches of her vehicle.

Investigators found quite a bit more than several.

What the Flock?! Americans on Both Sides of Political Aisle Pushing Back on Surveillance State Tech

Records showed Goodson searched for the vehicle 86 times in August 2025, 280 times in September, 72 times in October, 104 times in November, and another 68 times in December. He allegedly accessed the system using a police department laptop and cellphone.

Goodson told his supervisor he was trying to keep track of his children while they were with his estranged wife. But investigators said some searches were entered under purported law-enforcement reasons, including “wanted person” and “drug/narcotics.” His wife was not the subject of a criminal investigation, and her vehicle had not been connected to a crime, according to police.

Goodson was charged with one count involving offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices, and one count of official misconduct. He was placed on paid administrative leave and has agreed to resign from the department.

Haines City is not dropping Flock over the arrest. Police Chief Isaac Jackson said the department intends to keep using the system.

"We want to make it clear that the Haines City Police Department does not tolerate the misuse, unauthorized access, or personal use of any investigative databases or law-enforcement information systems. These resources are provided for legitimate official purposes only and must be used responsibly and in accordance with department policies and applicable laws."

Goodson is one of a growing number of officers accused of abusing license-plate readers.

A review of police and court records found at least 50 law-enforcement officers have been charged with or accused of using license-plate readers for unauthorized purposes, and that number has grown since the review was first published. Flock was involved in 46 of those cases. In 26, investigators or prosecutors said officers used the technology to monitor wives, girlfriends, former partners, their exes’ new partners, or women they wanted to meet.

One Georgia police chief allegedly searched Flock records for an ex-girlfriend and her teenage daughter roughly 600 times. A Wisconsin officer allegedly searched the plates of his ex-girlfriend and her partner 179 times. Other cases documented similar allegations in Kansas, California, and elsewhere.

Flock, for its part, has announced new safeguards after getting caught flat-footed by a wave of abuse cases. The company now says officers will have to attach a criminal case number to each search, and that searches will be automatically reviewed for abnormal activity. Whether a company that left these guardrails optional for years can be trusted to police its own users is a question worth asking.

Asked Monday about Flock cameras, Trump stopped short of endorsing or restricting the technology, but he didn't dismiss the concerns either. That's notable. A president who has made law-enforcement support a centerpiece of his brand is now being asked whether that support extends to a surveillance tool that dozens of officers have allegedly turned on private citizens.

President Trump on Flock cameras: "You have pros and cons...we'll have an answer as to our views on it over the next couple of weeks." pic.twitter.com/NM9ZOsHwCa
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 17, 2026

"You have pros and cons... we'll have an answer as to our views on it over the next couple of weeks."

That answer matters. If the administration sides with Flock, it owns every future misuse case. If it pushes for restrictions, it hands an unexpected win to privacy advocates on the right and left alike. Either way, the White House is no longer able to ignore it.

In Goodson's case, investigators say the searches continued even though his estranged wife was not under criminal investigation. There were 717 of them.

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