Now, former Savannah police officer Amber Harpe was fired in August following a department investigation that found she had shared her Flock login information with her husband, Tyler Harpe, an ICE agent. SPD does not share its Flock data with ICE and said sharing access to the system violated the department’s security protocols.
While he had unauthorized access to the system, Tyler Harpe conducted 983 searches related to 97 license plates, which were overwhelmingly registered to Hispanic drivers, according to Savannah’s local ABC affiliate, WJCL. The Harpes defended their actions, saying they didn’t use access for personal reasons and that the searches were strictly for “law-enforcement purposes.”
Interim Major Max Nowinsky originally recommended a light eight-hour suspension for Harpe. However, Major Michelle Halford and Assistant Police Chief Robert Gavin disagreed, and they removed her from the force. Harpe was fired, along with five other SPD employees, after an internal investigation uncovered Flock misuse. Four of them were later arrested; however, Harpe was not one of them.
