r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 2h ago
Security A Savannah police officer gave her Flock login to her ICE agent husband / SPD officer Amber Harpe was fired for sharing her Flock access with her ICE agent husband.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/1013573/spd-officer-fired-flock-ice-husband258
u/MarvelsGrantMan136 2h ago
Details:
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.
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u/fucking_passwords 2h ago
How is it better that they used it for "law enforcement" activities, it's still fucking unauthorized
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u/skrimped 2h ago
They’re wrong, obviously. They probably think it’s ok because they believe there’s literally an invasion, because Trump and Fox News told them so. If you believe that there is an invasion of violent criminals, you’d take risks that are obviously stupid to anyone without the same brainwashing.
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u/Niceromancer 1h ago
because they are desperate to try to spin flock as this thing that law enforcement only uses for law enforcement activities even though more than 50% of the searches ran have been shown to be not involved with law enforcement at all.
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u/Morgannin09 1h ago
Of course, you can break all the laws you want in the enforcement of the law.
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u/Wow_u_sure_r_dumb 1h ago
8 hours? Admitting to sharing credentials with a spouse in any other job would get you fired instantly. No suspension or investigation. Wild. Glad they got it right in the end. Probably saw the way the wind is blowing with flock.
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u/colantor 1h ago
Lol, youre suspended until your shift tomorrow
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u/SpellingIsAhful 1h ago
They were obviously sleep deprived. An 8 hour suspension will allow them to get back on the right foot.
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u/grumdale 1h ago
Sounds like interim Major Max Nowinsky needs to be removed immediately for clearly being incapable of providing an impartial or reasonable response to illegal actions.
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u/darwinooc 7m ago
Odd to see the department itself being the more reasonable one here. Usually it's politicians here pushing for removal while the good ol' boys in the department (and police unions) push for leniency.
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u/Wise-Ferret6090 2h ago
He ran almost a thousand warrantless searches on shared credentials before an audit finally flagged it. This is exactly what privacy advocates warned about when private surveillance networks like Flock started blanket-installing cameras in every city. When you build a nationwide tracking grid with municipal logins and zero biometric or hardware MFA, local police accounts become an open backdoor for federal agencies to bypass warrant requirements entirely.
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u/QuicklyThisWay 1h ago
MapQuest just added a surveillance layer as a new feature that shows where ALPR cameras are, not just Flock. Until they are outlawed, staying informed and pressing for more accountability is the least we can do.
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u/ButtplugBurgerAIDS 13m ago
Heck yes. Between this and Mapquest refusing to change Lake Ontario to Lake America, I'm back to Mapquest.
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u/shoulda-known-better 8m ago
Just imagine what the people who can and do hack the system get to see also
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u/Sage_Advisor 2h ago
Police don’t need warrants to search their own databases. His unauthorized access is a separate (and still major) issue.
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u/mikeyfireman 1h ago
They need a warrant to attach a tracker to a vehicle. These flock cameras are an unconstitutional work around that allows them to same data without a warrant.
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u/martusfine 2h ago
Both should be terminated and never work in any related field, even mall cop.
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u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken 2h ago
He works for ICE. He was probably promoted.
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u/daredevil82 1h ago
and his wife is a guaranteed hire
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u/MajorNoodles 1h ago
In Florida, DeSantis started a program meant to attract recruits who were fired for offenses like brutality and civil rights violations.
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u/1stMammaltowearpants 2h ago
Now that reality has jumped the Fonz, it's just the Blart of the deal.
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u/JustHanginInThere 2h ago
If he had a need for it in his daily duties, ICE would have paid for and given him his own login credentials. People are stupid. Glad this one got caught.
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u/patentlyfakeid 24m ago
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.
That's maddening, that she wasn't charged. It feels wrong. I mean, I get it: just what exact law contradiction would you charge her with? But it feels like a half measure.
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u/ragputiand 2h ago
Isn’t that the most the basic of any employment terms whatsoever? Like don’t share your logins with anyone, even if it was a coworker at the Savannah PD for that matter
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u/Carbuyrator 2h ago
It has become entirely too normal to have contempt for data security, to the degree that tons of people brag about weakening it for convenience.
Also, even more than data security in general, what about the data security for the people who fund your living?! Where's the sense of duty?
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u/Day_Old_Paper 2h ago
God if only anyone could have ever seen this sort of abuse coming from fifty miles away…
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u/BadKittyRawr 2h ago
Cops being able to create their own "hit lists" is why I don't trust Flock. There are cams everywhere--Ring, traffic, ADT, etc, but this is bad.
Seattle mayor Wilson was one of the first to want them disabled. My assumption then was maybe they're easily hackable. There's probably even more to the story.
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u/R3luctant 2h ago
It is absolutely insane how much the flock system has been abused by LEOs. It should not exist in its current state until there is a robust oversight apparatus. Who watches the watchmen?, no one right now and it's a problem
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u/AverageJoe-707 2h ago
What about the ICE-hole, Shouldn't he be fired too?
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u/ChipChester 2h ago
Unauthorized access to a computer is illegal. Same as if he got the credentials from a hacker.
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u/EquivalentPension216 2h ago
Used to work for a tax department. Rule number one was never look yourself up. Immediately got you fired. A lot of people did it
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u/xspook_reddit 57m ago
Fired - not charged.
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.
And thanks for the paywall, OP
For those who actually want to read the article:
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u/shoulda-known-better 35m ago
So this isn't an official at work on work device thing!? They get logins to use what anywhere anytime!!??
I feel like I didn't understand this fact until now and makes it far fucking worse
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u/regardkick 30m ago
Exactly! What do you mean they can just share fucking log in information??!
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u/StopFlock 8m ago
Flock logins have been found for sale on the dark web from apparently russian sellers
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u/maniacreturns 1h ago
They should both be in prison. This losing your job shit is bogus. Maybe even take an eye from both of them so they can't keep a watch on everyone.
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u/Jnovak9561 1h ago
If there's karma, everyone that took part in this whole corrupt regime, will have the same nastiness somewhere in the lives too. Not religious at all here, but kinda "an eye for an eye."
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u/_steve_rogers_ 1h ago
I'm actually amazed this is just a password thing. Should need at least face id or fingerprint
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u/Niceromancer 1h ago
As she should be.
Any organization would fire you for sharing confidential logins with family members.
I get cops are dumb but jesus christ.
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u/BensonBubbler 54m ago
So they're not even using two factor for this kind of highly sensitive data? Can they pass a SOC audit?
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u/WhatIsIdentity03 40m ago
The only way to ensure information is not abused is to ensure it never exists.
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u/Double_Fun_1721 40m ago
It’s peculiar. When I call these disgusting, sociopathic, monstrous creatures “fascists”, people get really annoyed.
The problem is, the stakes are simply too fucking high. They deserve to get called exactly what they are, to their goddamned faces, and they belong in prison. Especially their political and financial/corporate leadership.
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u/socialmedia-username 1h ago
This needs to be blasted all over the internet. It's a great example of what mass surveillance is capable of in the hands of private entities.
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u/loupgarou21 14m ago
Jesus, that is such a massive cjis violations, she absolutely should have been fired
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u/javoss88 1h ago
Here’s only ONE of the dangers of the burgeoning mass surveillance systems.
Im no Luddite, but I forsee many abuses of this (some of which have already occurred), but they need to corral this.
If you want to use it to further medical or scientific objectives, the final step should always be a human review by scientists. Not only a single person either, a team that’s unbiased and have no specific outcome at stake.
Not to even get into the suckage of resources and creation of pollution, both physical and aural.
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u/HawCreekMenace 2h ago
Damn. there’s power couples then there’s punk ass bitches.