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Baytown officer resigns as investigations continue into alleged misuse of Flock license plate reader system

Police chief says internal affairs and criminal probes remain active

A Baytown Police officer has resigned amid ongoing internal and criminal investigations into alleged misuse of the department’s Flock license plate reader system. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

BAYTOWN, Texas – The Baytown Police Department says a former officer has resigned while investigators continue looking into allegations involving the department’s use of the Flock license plate reader (LPR) system.

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In an update released by Chief John Stringer, the department said it opened two separate investigations after the allegations surfaced: an internal affairs investigation and a separate criminal investigation. Stringer said both cases are still ongoing, and the officer at the center of the investigation left the department the day before the latest update was issued.

“This does not conclude either one of the investigations,” Stringer said, adding that the department will pursue accountability “to the fullest extent of the law” depending on what the criminal investigation finds.

Stringer said the results of the internal affairs investigation will be reported to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, and that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office has been informed as the criminal investigation continues.

The chief said the department is limited in what it can release while the investigations remain active, but pledged to provide additional information when it is appropriate.

Flock cameras, which are designed to capture license plate data to help investigators track vehicles tied to crimes, have expanded across the Houston area in recent years — and have also raised broader privacy and oversight questions, as KPRC 2 has previously reported. Baytown police have not detailed what specific conduct is being investigated in this case, citing the ongoing inquiries.