Stow police cut ties with Flock Safety after officer allegedly used cameras to track someone he knows

The Stow Police Department placed an officer on leave and disabled Flock cameras in the town after the officer allegedly used the surveillance cameras and other police databases improperly to look up information about someone he knows personally, the department announced.

“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with access to sensitive information solely so they can perform their official duties and protect the public,” Stow Police Chief Michael Sallese said. “Using that access for a personal purpose is a serious violation of that trust, and it is a crime.” 

Stow police officer Jason Rogers was placed on unpaid leave July 31, as he faces termination proceedings and criminal charges for allegedly misusing Flock Safety license reader cameras and a database of criminal records, the department said in a press release.

Flock Safety sells automated license plate reading cameras that capture vehicle data — including license plates, make, model, and color — and inputs this information into a searchable nationwide network used by law enforcement.

Stow officer allegedly used police databases illegally

On June 18, a Worcester County resident alleged that Rogers improperly used police databases to access personal information, officials said in July. While the resident has not been publicly identified, the complainant and officer “were known to each other,” police said. 

Within three hours of receiving the complaint, the department placed Rogers on leave, Stow police said in the release.

The department launched a four-week internal affairs investigation that determined that Rogers attempted to obtain personal information about the Worcester County resident multiple times during 2024 and 2025, police said. Rogers allegedly ran vehicle information through Flock Safety multiple times for no legitimate law enforcement reason, police said. The officer also allegedly looked someone up in the state’s database of criminal records for reasons not related to law enforcement at least five times, the department said, which is illegal under state law.

The department filed a criminal complaint July 17 seeking charges against Rogers, and the matter has been forwarded to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, the department said. The Stow Select Board has an employment status hearing with Rogers on Aug. 26, according to Stow police. 

Stow takes down Flock cameras because of alleged officer misconduct

Sallese terminated the department’s relationship with Flock Safety “as a direct result of (Rogers’) conduct,” Stow police said in the release.

The last Flock camera in Stow was removed in early August, the department wrote. The department had removed two other ALPR cameras earlier in the year after evaluating their effectiveness, police said.

SPD’s decision to cut ties with Flock Safety comes amid increased scrutiny of law enforcement’s use of Flock cameras, largely around privacy concerns and instances of officer misuse. 

A New Bedford police officer was recently accused of using the department’s Flock Safety cameras to track her ex-girlfriend. New Bedford temporarily suspended its use of Flock cameras last week.  

At least 80 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts use Flock cameras, but a growing number of communities in the state have abandoned their relationships with Flock due to privacy concerns and backlash from citizens, including Salem, Framingham, and Cambridge. 

Stow officials said they are committed to restoring trust in the public following the incident of alleged officer misconduct. 

“We will continue working to ensure that the public has confidence in how sensitive law enforcement information is accessed and protected,” Stow Town Administrator Denise Dembkoski said in the release.