VERO BEACH — An Indian River County Sheriff’s Office sergeant is on paid administrative leave while the agency investigates whether he misused Flock Safety license plate cameras, officials confirmed Monday.
Sgt. John Finnegan, 41, was placed on leave after questions were raised about his searches in the automated license plate reader system, Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a sheriff’s spokesman, said.
“Since a possible issue was brought to our attention, Sgt. Finnegan has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into this matter,” Jaworski said. “Prior to this incident, the agency had already begun an audit of its Flock camera system. The audit remains ongoing.”
An analysis of Flock audit logs found Finnegan queried the same two license plates 574 times between March and October 2025. The reasons listed on the searches included “SUS” and “DAYTIME SEARCH FOR BEST RESULT,” according to published reports.
Sheriff’s officials would not say whose vehicles were being checked or what those notations mean. They declined further comment, citing the open investigation.
Finnegan could not immediately be reached for comment. He has not been charged.
The local case surfaced days after Fort Pierce police arrested former Officer Josepher Crutchfield on four felony counts of unauthorized access to a computer network. Police said Crutchfield used Flock and other law enforcement databases to search an ex-girlfriend’s vehicle. He resigned Aug. 18, before that criminal investigation ended, Fort Pierce police said.
Flock cameras photograph passing vehicles, record tag numbers and other identifying details, and store the data in a searchable system used by law enforcement. Indian River County began installing the cameras in 2021. Sheriff Eric Flowers has said the readers have helped solve homicides, recover missing people and track stolen vehicles.
State officials have taken a harder line. On Aug. 31, the Florida Department of Transportation ordered agencies to remove automated license plate readers from state highway rights of way within 30 days, citing privacy concerns and reports of misuse. Indian River County law enforcement agencies have said they will take cameras off state roads. Readers on county roads and private property are not covered by that order.
Finnegan has been with the Sheriff’s Office nearly two decades. Personnel records show he received a two-day suspension in August 2025 for insubordination, neglect of duty and “abuse of rest periods.”
No additional details about the Flock investigation have been released. Jaworski said the agency audit of the camera system is still underway.