LUFKIN, Texas — A Lufkin police officer faces 100 felony charges for allegedly misusing the department’s Flock license plate reader system, prompting the city to suspend use of the technology while authorities investigate.
An Angelina County grand jury indicted Zachary Anthony Klein, 32, last week on 100 counts of misuse of official information related to the Flock system. Authorities arrested Klein on Aug. 20 and booked him into the Angelina County Jail. His bail totals $700,000.
A second Lufkin police officer also faces an administrative investigation and has been placed on administrative leave, Police Chief Travis Brazil said.
The department has suspended its use of Flock cameras while its internal affairs officers investigate the allegations. Brazil also asked the Texas Rangers to conduct an independent investigation.
The investigation makes Lufkin one of several Texas law enforcement agencies that have examined alleged misconduct involving Flock in recent months. Other investigations have focused on allegations that officers used the system to monitor people for personal reasons.
Klein’s Flock search history
Agency records reviewed through the public database Have I Been Flocked show that Klein conducted about 45,318 license plate searches between May 2024 and December 2025.
The database compiles Flock usage records obtained through public records requests and provides searchable profiles of individual officers.
Klein’s profile shows the highest number of searches among Lufkin police officers listed in the database. His searches averaged about 1,258 per week, or 74 per day, during the period reviewed.
The database also shows that Klein repeatedly searched four license plates. He searched one plate 3,470 times over a year.
Flock requires officers to provide a reason for each search, including categories such as kidnapping, robbery and auto theft. Klein’s profile lists “investigation” as the reason for his searches.
It remains unclear whether the repeatedly searched license plates belonged to people Klein knew personally. The Lufkin Police Department has not said who owned the plates or explained the searches.
Investigation continues
Lufkin officials approved the Flock camera system in 2023. The technology uses cameras and artificial intelligence to capture license plates and vehicle information that law enforcement agencies can use to develop leads in criminal investigations.
The expansion of Flock cameras across neighborhoods, public roads and commercial areas has raised concerns about how officers can use the system to track vehicles and reconstruct people’s movements.
Civil rights advocates have raised concerns about the potential for officers to use the technology to monitor people for personal reasons.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley has defended the company’s efforts to identify potential misuse. In a recent interview with The Washington Post, he said law enforcement officers should face higher standards of accountability when they receive access to surveillance tools.
Flock has introduced additional safeguards, including an internal audit system designed to flag unusual searches. The company also reduced its standard data-retention period from 30 days to seven days, with exceptions for some ongoing investigations.
The company’s national law enforcement search system now requires users to enter a case code before conducting a search.
