Dunwoody's $200,000 expansion of its Flock Safety surveillance partnership faces fresh scrutiny after a federal lawsuit alleged the company's license-plate reader technology contributed to an Army veteran's wrongful arrest.
Ladavius McNair, a doctoral student at Clark Atlanta University, spent 30 days in the Fulton County Jail in 2024 after investigators used Flock data to connect his vehicle to a road-rage shooting he did not commit, 11Alive first reported Saturday, Sept. 26. The charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled. McNair has since earned his doctorate.
His attorney, Marsha Mignott, told 11Alive that McNair drove an Infiniti SUV, not the four-door sedan the victim described. She said McNair was in class at Clark Atlanta at the time of the shooting and that witnesses could confirm it.
"They don't know who's operating the vehicle," Mignott said. "They just know that that vehicle was in the particular area."
McNair has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, the police chief and the lead detective. His legal team is considering adding Flock Safety as a defendant, according to 11Alive.
Dunwoody deepened its Flock partnership in April
The Dunwoody City Council voted unanimously in April to approve a new master services agreement with Flock Safety, a $200,000 Drone-as-First-Responder program and a 911 integration system. The vote came after hours of public opposition over privacy and data security, CBS News Atlanta reported.
City leaders described the agreement as a "reset" with stricter controls. Flock must now get approval from city leadership for most data access.
Dunwoody police require officers to have a documented reason and a case number before pulling Flock records. Dunwoody Police Sgt. Michael Cheek told WSB-TV in September that "public trust is of utmost importance to us."
Flock misuse cases mount across the region
In August, DeKalb County Police Chief Gregory Padrick confirmed that eight officers were suspended for violating department policy on Flock use. Five used the system to track vehicles for personal reasons, including monitoring people in personal relationships. Discipline ranged from 16 to 80 hours of suspension. None were criminally charged.
Christopher Bruce of the ACLU of Georgia told WSB-TV that more than 40 officers across the state have been caught misusing Flock cameras.
Atlanta moves toward binding oversight
In Atlanta, an internal police audit examined 115,578 Flock searches conducted in 2026 and flagged 79 search patterns for further review, according to Atlanta News First. Mayor Andre Dickens introduced proposed citywide surveillance legislation at the Sept. 21 City Council meeting, with a goal of full council approval within 60 days.
