A Florida police officer is out of a job and facing criminal charges after investigators say he repeatedly used law enforcement databases to look up the same person’s vehicle without a legitimate police reason.
Former Sarasota Police Officer Cory Waiters, 38, searched one Florida license plate 358 times through the Flock license plate reader system, according to a probable cause affidavit. On one particularly busy day, investigators say he searched it 121 times.
The plate wasn’t connected to an investigation Waiters was working, according to the affidavit. Police have not publicly identified the person whose vehicle he was searching or explained why Waiters was so interested in it.
The case comes at an interesting time for Flock. Another Florida officer was arrested just days earlier after investigators say he used the same technology hundreds of times to keep tabs on his estranged wife.
A Reporter Spots Something Strange
The investigation into Waiters didn’t begin with a supervisor noticing unusual activity.
It began with a reporter.
According to the probable cause affidavit details published by the Sarasota News Leader, Sarasota Police received an email on Aug. 6 from USA Today reporter Jack Lemnus.
Lemnus had been examining publicly available Flock Safety audit logs and found approximately 335 queries associated with Waiters’ account involving the same license plate between May 20 and July 16, 2025.
Every one of those searches reportedly carried the same justification: “13V,” meaning suspicious vehicle.
That discovery prompted Sarasota Police to begin an internal investigation and conduct a broader audit of Waiters’ use of Flock and another restricted law enforcement database known as DAVID, or the Driver and Vehicle Information Database.
The broader audit found even more searches.
The Audit Goes Back Further
Investigators reviewed Waiters’ Flock activity dating back to August 2023.
According to the affidavit, the audit ultimately identified 358 searches involving the same Florida license plate. The tag was registered to a 2025 Land Rover and had previously been registered to a gray 2016 Infiniti SUV owned by the same person.
Investigators found Waiters wasn’t actively working on a criminal investigation involving vehicles with that tag from February through September 2025.
Then there was June 12.
Waiters’ account searched the plate 121 times that day alone, according to the affidavit.
Between May 14 and Oct. 4, 2025, investigators found the predominant search method was listed as “lookup/search — Mobile.”
Police also examined Waiters’ activity in DAVID and documented multiple searches connected to the same tag.
DAVID isn’t a database officers are supposed to browse out of curiosity. According to the affidavit, users must acknowledge a warning explaining that its information is sensitive and privileged and may only be accessed by authorized personnel in accordance with state and federal law.
The warning specifically identifies personal use and queries unrelated to a legitimate business purpose as unauthorized uses.
Waiters Is Fired And Arrested
Sarasota Police placed Waiters on paid administrative leave on Aug. 7, one day after receiving the reporter’s email. The department also launched an agency-wide compliance audit, which it says found agency-wide compliance when it was completed Aug. 14.
Waiters was fired and arrested on Aug. 19.
He faces two felony charges, offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices, and official misconduct. He also faces a misdemeanor charge related to Florida public records law.
Waiters joined the Sarasota Police Department in 2023.
“We take allegations of misconduct seriously,” Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche said in a statement. “When an agency member’s actions fall short of the standards and professionalism we expect, we will address it appropriately and without hesitation.”
At his first court appearance Thursday, FOX 13 reported that a judge set Waiters’ combined bond at $5,500.
Police have not publicly identified the owner of the plate or disclosed what relationship, if any, existed between that person and Waiters.
This Isn’t The Only Recent Flock Case In Florida
The Sarasota arrest comes remarkably close to another case involving a Florida officer accused of turning Flock into a personal tracking tool.
Haines City Police Officer Christopher Goodson was arrested Aug. 11 after investigators say he searched his estranged wife’s vehicle in Flock 717 times between September 2024 and June 2026.
According to Goodson’s arrest affidavit, he told a supervisor he used the searches to keep track of where his children were when they were with his estranged wife.
Investigators found her vehicle wasn’t involved in a criminal investigation.
The affidavit says Goodson entered a variety of purported reasons for searches, including motor vehicle offenses, narcotics, assault and battery, theft, fleeing police, and other offenses.
Goodson faces felony charges of official misconduct and offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices.
The case also prompted a policy change.
According to Tampa Bay 28, Haines City Police acknowledged it had not conducted formal audits of Flock usage before the investigation.
The department now says platoon lieutenants will conduct quarterly audits examining officers’ reasons for searches, search frequency, usage patterns, and whether searches can be tied to legitimate cases or incident numbers.
What A Flock Search Can Reveal
Flock’s automated license plate readers photograph passing vehicles and record information such as the plate, vehicle characteristics, location, and time. Police agencies can search that data to determine where a particular vehicle has been detected.
That can make the system extraordinarily useful when investigators are looking for a stolen vehicle, trying to locate a missing person, searching for a suspect, or attempting to reconstruct someone’s movements during a criminal investigation.
The same capability creates a very different situation when someone with authorized access searches for a vehicle for personal reasons.
Speaking with FOX 13 about the Waiters case, defense attorney Brett McIntosh, who is not involved in the prosecution, described that tradeoff.
“There’s no doubt that the Flock cameras can be a powerful tool for law enforcement to solve crimes,” McIntosh said.
His concern was what that same technology can reveal when it’s used to follow an ordinary person’s movements. Repeated license plate detections can potentially reveal where someone works, who they visit, where they worship, and other pieces of their daily routine.
The Waiters investigation also demonstrates that Flock searches leave records behind. In this case, those audit logs were what initially attracted a reporter’s attention and ultimately led police to conduct their own review.
Waiters has been charged, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.