Colleton County Lieutenant Fired After Unauthorized Flock Searches

Broken Badges: Colleton County Lieutenant Fired After More Than 2,700 Unauthorized Flock Searches

By James Seidel | CC News Network | Broken Badges

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. — A Colleton County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant has been fired after an internal audit uncovered more than 2,700 instances of unauthorized use of the agency’s Flock license plate camera system, according to a Thursday press release.

The sheriff’s office identified the former lieutenant as Ruben Carter, who was terminated Aug. 20 after investigators determined he allegedly used the law-enforcement surveillance system for non-law-enforcement purposes.

According to the sheriff’s office, the unauthorized searches involved 14 people over approximately one year. Those searched allegedly included Carter himself, fellow deputies, friends and former associates.

The extent of the activity was discovered after Sheriff Guerry L. “Buddy” Hill Jr. directed the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility to take over auditing of the Flock system on Aug. 11.

The following day, newly released Flock artificial intelligence technology was activated. The agency said the enhanced auditing system allowed investigators to conduct a more detailed review than was possible under its previous manual auditing process.

By Aug. 13, OPR had identified the alleged misuse.

The sheriff’s office said its previous audits were conducted manually by the captain assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division, who also served as both the Flock system administrator and auditor. Those audits were limited to information available in 30-day increments.

SLED Investigation Underway

Because of the duration and volume of the unauthorized searches, Hill contacted the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and requested an investigation into possible criminal conduct.

SLED has accepted the investigation.

The sheriff’s office said it will not release information identifying the people whose information was searched or additional details while the investigation remains active.

Sheriff Removes Flock Access From Deputies

The discovery has also prompted a significant change in how Colleton County deputies can access the surveillance system.

Under the revised policy, individual deputies will no longer have access to Flock cameras.

Instead, the Communications Division will be the only division routinely authorized to conduct searches and enter required information into the system.

Deputies working active investigations may receive temporary access, but only with authorization from the sheriff or chief deputy. That access must end when the investigation concludes and will then be audited.

OPR will also conduct weekly audits of the system.

Privacy and Civil Rights Concerns

Hill acknowledged that the alleged misuse potentially affected both the privacy and civil rights of the people whose information was accessed.

The sheriff said the audit showed the conduct was attributable to an individual deputy rather than the agency as a whole and said the department has “zero tolerance” for using law-enforcement technology for personal or unauthorized purposes.

The investigation comes amid increasing scrutiny of how law-enforcement agencies use automated license plate reader systems such as Flock — technology capable of allowing officers to search vehicle movements across interconnected camera networks.

For Colleton County, however, the sheriff’s office says the lesson from its own audit is straightforward: access to powerful surveillance technology requires equally strong oversight.

The agency said it will continue cooperating with SLED as the investigation moves forward.

About the Author

James Seidel

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About the CC News Network James Seidel: Publisher, Award Winning Journalist, Author. Investigator, Podcaster, Talk Show Host, and Music Producer. The CC News Network is a distinguished media company in the world of South Carolina News, Weather, Sports and True Crime. At the beginning, James Seidel was only known as Crime and Cask and well known for his relentless pursuit of truth and justice in the Alex Murdaugh trial. As a journalist, author, investigator, radio talk show host, and record producer he has made significant contributions to uncovering some of the most complex and high-profile criminal cases of our time.

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