SHIELDS OF SHAME | FLOCK ABUSE DATABASE | CASE 039
Michael Bernard Dante Canty: Covington Officer Fired, Arrested Over Flock Searches
An internal audit led to termination, a GBI arrest and questions about how police surveillance data was accessed.
What happened?
Former Covington Police officer Michael Bernard Dante Canty was arrested August 26, 2026, after investigators examined alleged non-law-enforcement use of the department’s Flock Safety automated license plate reader system. The GBI announced charges involving Misuse of a License Plate Reader System and Violation of Oath of Office. Canty was booked into the Newton County Jail. Criminal charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.
Why the department reviewed his searches
WSB-TV reported that a pattern of unusually high technology use drew scrutiny. Covington Police interviewed Canty, placed him on administrative leave, reviewed additional records and terminated him. The supplied case chronology identifies July 27, 2026 as the termination date, August 3 as the opening of a Georgia POST investigation, and August 6 as the department’s GBI referral. The GBI confirmed its investigation followed Covington’s August 6 request.
A discrepancy in the reported criminal counts
The GBI announcement identifies the two categories of alleged offense, describing one oath-of-office count. The Covington News reported five counts of misuse of captured license plate data and five counts of violation of oath, with a $25,000 bond. Because those summaries differ, the actual arrest warrants and court docket must be examined before treating the exact count total as settled. Bond information at booking does not establish current custody status.
Georgia POST training and credentials
The supplied historical POST materials describe 1,474 hours of training, advanced certification and Field Training Officer credentials. A POST investigation opening is not a certification revocation, and a training transcript cannot establish what Flock-specific instructions an officer received. The two original PDFs are provided separately for comparison.
Additional POST training record PDF ↗
What remains unknown
Public GBI reporting did not identify the vehicles searched, the exact number of searches, the reasons entered, or whether any data was shared. Separate online claims about thousands of searches involving a former partner are not independently established by the GBI announcement and should not be repeated as verified fact without native audit logs. Search events, matching camera observations and result views can be different measures.
Case chronology
- July 27, 2026 — employment termination date in supplied chronology.
- August 3 — POST investigation reportedly opened.
- August 6 — Covington asks GBI to investigate.
- August 26 — Canty arrested and booked in Newton County.
- August 27 — GBI announces arrest; local reporting describes additional counts and bond.
Original evidence
Exhibit 2 — second POST record ↗
Related reporting
WSB-TV — internal audit and termination ↗
Covington News — charges and bond ↗
Atlanta News First — GBI arrest ↗
Records Shields of Shame is seeking
- Complete Flock search audit with plate queries, timestamps, user IDs, case numbers, reasons, result views and exports.
- Original anomaly alerts, Internal Affairs report, interview and termination records.
- Arrest warrants, affidavits, precise charge counts, court docket and disposition.
- Current Georgia POST investigation and certification status.
- Flock access policies, permissions, supervisor review, training and retention settings.
Frequently asked questions
Was Canty arrested?
Yes, August 26, 2026, according to the GBI.
Was Canty convicted?
No final disposition was verified in the reporting reviewed. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
How many searches were involved?
The public GBI announcement does not provide a verified count. The native audit is necessary to establish it.
Updated October 2026. Charges, historical records and unverified search-count allegations are distinguished throughout.