The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is investigating a former employee over what the agency says was unauthorized access to its Flock license plate reader database after the individual’s employment ended.

The individual performed at least 58 immigration-related searches in February, according to audit logs obtained through public records requests and analyzed by The Detroit News.

"Those queries were unauthorized and violate our policy," Oakland County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Tyler Sweers told The Detroit News. He said the criminal investigation focuses on the individual’s continued access after leaving the agency.

Separately, the sheriff’s office reported the theft of a Flock camera in Rochester Hills, and at least eight incidents of vandalism targeting the devices have been reported in Orion Township, Commerce Township, Independence Township, Novi and Pontiac, according to The Detroit News. The reporting does not connect those incidents to the former employee’s searches.

The sheriff's office is one of five Metro Detroit law enforcement agencies identified in the analysis as having immigration-related searches. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center has raised concerns about local agencies using license plate readers to assist immigration enforcement, FOX 2 Detroit reported Oct. 7.

The other four are police departments in Brownstown Township, Southfield, Taylor and Troy.

The Detroit News analysis found more than 120 Flock searches from 12 Michigan law enforcement agencies containing “immigration” or “ICE” since January 2025. Some entries were typos or mistakes, including “ICE” instead of “VICE,” the newspaper reported.

Christine Sauvé, with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, told FOX 2 that local agencies have been inappropriately and in some cases unlawfully involved in immigration enforcement. She said it was not surprising to see them use license plate readers to aid those efforts.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard declined interview requests, citing the ongoing investigation. The Detroit News reported Oct. 6 that the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said no charges had been filed.

The reporting follows assurances Oakland County Undersheriff Timothy Willis gave Pontiac City Council members in March. Willis said at the time that Flock data had never been requested by or given to ICE, and that the sheriff's office "does not enforce immigration status offenses" and has no agreement with the agency. The reported searches do not independently establish that those assurances were false.

Oakland County Commissioner Kristen Nelson, who had raised privacy concerns about Flock before the investigation became public, told WXYZ the probe "adds a whole other layer of concerns."

Board of Commissioners Chair Dave Woodward told The Detroit News he would demand the sheriff's office share its findings with commissioners when the investigation is completed.

The other four agencies offered varying explanations. Taylor Police Chief John Blair confirmed the searches were "probably accurate" but said they were unrelated to the department's ICE partnership.

In Troy, a spokesperson said the searches stemmed from a Drug Enforcement Administration task force and fell within guidelines. Southfield's deputy chief said he was unaware Flock tools were used during a human trafficking investigation that involved ICE. In Brownstown Township, the police chief said a Border Patrol agent requested data tied to criminal activity, and the search turned up nothing. Those explanations were reported by The Detroit News.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote in December on whether to extend its Flock Safety drone program, according to WXYZ. That program is separate from the license plate reader database at issue in the investigation.