A Kentucky police officer had authorized access to a network of license plate-reading cameras. Police say he used that access 2,048 times to search for two vehicles registered to the mother of his child.
Shively Police Officer Asad Zahir, 40, is now facing 10 misdemeanor charges after his own department says a recently activated auditing tool caught the unusual activity.
In a release obtained by Spectrum News 1, Shively Police said the searches occurred between January 1 and May 2, 2026. The two Kentucky registrations belonged to a woman with whom Zahir previously had a relationship and shares a child.
The department began investigating on August 24, the same day an artificial intelligence-powered auditing tool from Flock Safety flagged the searches as potentially improper. By the following day, Zahir had been arrested.
Thousands Of Searches
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An arrest citation filed by Shively Police and obtained by WAVE says Zahir used Flock to search the two registrations 2,048 times during the roughly four-month period.
Flock’s license plate reader system allows authorized law enforcement users to search vehicle information collected by cameras in the network. According to Flock’s description of its access controls, searches are logged and linked to the person who performed them, and users must provide a reason connected to an investigation.
Police say Zahir supplied one.
Officials said during an August 26 news conference that Zahir listed a drug or narcotics investigation as the reason for the searches. The woman, however, was not the subject of such an investigation, according to police.
The arrest citation also alleges Zahir used the system to monitor the woman’s movements in Kentucky and Indiana.
An Order In Place
During the same period, police say Zahir harassed the woman and made threatening comments. She obtained a protective order against him in Indiana.
Shively Police Chief Andre Bottoms said 241 Flock searches occurred while that protective order was in effect, from April 17 through May 6. The department says Zahir’s 2,048 searches ended May 2, meaning the alleged Flock activity stopped several days before the order expired.
The searches did not immediately result in an investigation of Zahir.
That changed months later.
Speaking at the August 26 news conference, Bottoms said Flock’s AI-based monitoring system alerted the department on August 24 that Zahir’s activity had been flagged as potentially improper.
Police immediately removed Zahir’s access to Flock and opened a criminal investigation.
Less than 24 hours later, Bottoms said police determined the searches lacked a legitimate law enforcement purpose. Zahir was arrested at the Shively Police Department.
The Audit Catches It
The timing of the discovery is notable because the technology that flagged the searches had only recently been activated by the department.
Shively Police Sgt. Jordan Brown told Spectrum News 1 that the department had recently turned on Flock’s Audit Assistance tool when Zahir’s activity was identified.
Flock describes its Audit Assistance tool as a way to surface atypical activity for review. The company separately says every search is logged and that supervisors can review search histories.
In this case, the newly activated automated review flagged searches stretching back several months.
Bottoms said the department had used Flock for about four years. He defended the system’s legitimate police uses during the news conference, saying it had helped the department recover stolen vehicles, locate missing children, and solve homicides.
“But the value of this technology does not excuse its misuse,” Bottoms said.
Rules Get Tighter
The arrest has also prompted Shively Police to examine how its officers use the system.
Bottoms said the department is reviewing its Flock policies and protocols. Officers using the system must now enter a case number with their searches, a requirement imposed following the discovery of Zahir’s alleged activity.
The review extends beyond Flock. Shively Police said it is examining Zahir’s use of other restricted law enforcement databases as its criminal and internal investigations continue.
Zahir joined the department in 2022 and worked in patrol. Police placed him on unpaid administrative leave and removed his police powers following his arrest.
He faces five counts of first-degree official misconduct and five counts of fourth-degree unlawful access to a computer. Kentucky law classifies first-degree official misconduct as a Class A misdemeanor. Fourth-degree unlawful access to a computer is a Class B misdemeanor.
Court records reviewed by WAVE show Zahir was released on his own recognizance following his arrest. His arraignment is scheduled for August 28 in Jefferson District Court.