Overview
- The Mauldin Police Department fired Officer Ellie Anna Hammond on Aug. 3 after South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy records showed she queried a former partner’s license plate 166 times between March and July.
- The academy documents say Hammond logged false reasons for each search, citing warrant checks, traffic infractions and welfare checks that investigators say were untrue, and she has not faced criminal charges.
- Hammond, 24, joined Mauldin’s uniform patrol in June 2024 after completing required training and a psychological evaluation, according to the academy records.
- Flock Safety said this week that it will make platform changes intended to address privacy worries and documented law‑enforcement misuse, a response to reporting and audits that found unauthorized searches and tracking.
- The case adds to a national wave of audits, contract reviews, prosecutions and proposed limits on automated license‑plate readers and could prompt more agency discipline, stricter vendor contracts, and new local or state rules on data access and retention.