SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA FLOCK ABUSE DATABASE | CASE 018
Donald Ross Phillips: Savannah Officer Fired, Arrested Over Flock Searches — Then Appealed His Termination
FIRED. ARRESTED. BUT THE SUPPLIED GEORGIA POST SNAPSHOT STILL LISTED HIM AS ACTIVELY EMPLOYED. Former Savannah Police Officer Donald Ross Phillips, 23, was among six employees terminated following a department audit of its Flock Safety license plate reader system. The GBI arrested him August 21, 2026, and charged him with two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and one count of violation of oath of office. In September, Phillips took another step: he appealed his firing to Savannah’s Civil Service Board.
Case at a glance
Subject: Donald Ross Phillips
Former agency: Savannah Police Department, Georgia
Age at arrest: 23; GBI identified his residence as Fleming, Georgia
Audit investigation opened: July 27, 2026
Department termination announced: August 7, 2026
Arrest: August 21, 2026; booked into Chatham County Jail
Charges: Two counts misuse of a license plate reader system; one count violation of oath of office
Employment appeal hearing: September 15, 2026
Historical POST exhibit: User-supplied certification record reportedly listed Good Standing, active Basic Law Enforcement certification, actively employed, no sanctions or investigations
Final criminal, POST and appeal outcomes: Not independently verified
Savannah’s audit: six employees terminated
On August 3, Savannah Police announced that a proactive review of Flock Safety access had identified possible misuse by four sworn officers and two civilian staff members. The department placed all six on leave and referred their cases to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Savannah’s own investigation had begun July 27, and the agency requested GBI involvement July 29. The review used the Flock Safety Audit Assist program, which the vendor had made available in April 2026.
On August 7, Savannah announced all six had been terminated. The department said its administrative investigation found searches involving personal acquaintances and family members that were unrelated to legitimate law-enforcement activity. It also reported one instance in which an employee gave personnel from an outside law-enforcement agency access to Savannah’s Flock system. The department did not publicly assign every allegation to a named individual. It would therefore be inaccurate to claim without additional records that Phillips specifically searched a family member or provided the outside access.
August 21: the GBI arrests four former employees
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation named four former Savannah Police Department employees in its August 21 announcement. Former officers Donald Phillips, Marquis Dillard and Matthew Rich each faced two license plate reader misuse counts and one violation-of-oath count. Former Community Service Specialist Calandic Thomas faced two license plate reader misuse counts. The GBI said preliminary evidence indicated non-law-enforcement use of the Flock system. All four were booked into the Chatham County Jail.
Four arrests are not the same as the six terminations. Savannah had administratively dismissed six people, while the GBI publicly announced charges against four on August 21. The criminal investigation remained open. The charges are allegations and do not establish guilt.
New development: Phillips appeals his firing
On September 15, Savannah’s Civil Service Board held an employee appeal hearing for Phillips and Matthew Rich. WTOC reported the hearing was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and included the parties’ statements and presentation of evidence. WSAV also reported both former officers were appealing their terminations. The final decision of the Civil Service Board has not been independently established in this update. An employment appeal is distinct from the criminal prosecution: even if an administrative decision changes, that would not automatically dispose of criminal charges, and vice versa.
For the next update, Shields of Shame should obtain the appeal packet, board minutes, exhibits, recording, written findings and any final order. Those documents may reveal which searches Savannah attributed specifically to Phillips and what defenses were presented.
POST record discrepancy: fired versus “actively employed”
The supplied Georgia POST certification report reportedly showed Phillips as In Good Standing, with his Basic Law Enforcement certification ACTIVE, his Savannah Police employment as Actively Employed in Law Enforcement, and no sanctions or investigations listed when that report was generated. Those entries contrast with Savannah’s August 7 public termination announcement and the GBI’s August 21 arrest announcement.
That discrepancy is worth documenting but must be understood correctly: POST records can reflect reporting delays, and the precise date of the supplied snapshot matters. An active certification does not prove the employee remains on a department’s payroll, nor does an arrest automatically revoke a credential. Without a current POST report and the original agency separation submission, the reason for the discrepancy remains unverified.
Why the audit trail is central to this story
Flock cameras capture vehicle sightings tied to license plate, time and location. Police can search that information to investigate crimes or find vehicles connected to emergencies. But access to a network of sightings can also reveal a person’s travel patterns. That makes user logs, written justifications, supervisory reviews, hotlist alerts and export histories essential to determining whether an officer used the tool for an authorized purpose.
After Savannah identified the alleged misconduct, the department announced recurring weekly audits by its Office of Professional Standards. The key accountability questions now include whether suspicious searches had previously been flagged, how the Audit Assist program scored activity, whether individual users entered case numbers and whether supervisors reviewed the underlying results. A complete audit log would also distinguish the number of actual searches from the number of criminal charges.
Timeline of the Savannah investigation
- April 2026: Flock Audit Assist program becomes available to Savannah.
- July 27: Savannah Police opens its internal investigation into possible unauthorized searches.
- July 29: Department asks the GBI to conduct an independent criminal investigation.
- August 3: Savannah publicly announces six employees placed on administrative leave.
- August 7: All six employees terminated following department findings.
- August 21: GBI arrests Phillips, Dillard, Rich and Thomas; Phillips charged with three counts.
- September 15: Civil Service Board conducts Phillips and Rich termination-appeal hearings.
- October 12: Final appeal ruling, current POST status and criminal disposition not independently confirmed here.
Original case documents and images
Official sources and related reporting
GBI — four Savannah arrests and individual charges, August 21 ↗
Savannah Police — six employees investigated, August 3 ↗
Savannah Police — six terminations and audit findings, August 7 ↗
Savannah Police — statement following GBI arrests ↗
WTOC — September 15 employment appeal hearing ↗
WTOC — investigation and arrests ↗
Related SOS investigation — Calandic Sierra Thomas ↗
Public records needed next
- Complete Flock audit and query history for Phillips’s assigned user account, including search reasons, timestamps, case numbers and exports
- July 27 internal investigation file, interview recordings, disciplinary findings and termination notice
- August 21 arrest warrants, charging affidavits and updated court docket
- September 15 Civil Service Board appeal packet, hearing recording, exhibits, decision and subsequent appeals
- POST employment separation notice, current certification profile and disciplinary records
- Flock Audit Assist flagging criteria, preexisting audit schedule, weekly audit reports and outside-agency access logs
Frequently asked questions
What was Donald Phillips charged with?
Two counts of misuse of a license plate reader system and one count of violation of oath of office, according to the GBI.
Were all six Savannah employees arrested?
No. Six were fired; four were publicly identified as arrested by the GBI on August 21.
Did Phillips appeal his termination?
Yes. A Civil Service Board hearing was held September 15, 2026. The final decision has not been independently verified.
Why did POST still show him as employed?
The supplied historical snapshot reportedly did. Reporting delays are possible, but the exact cause and current record require verification.
Was Phillips convicted?
No final criminal disposition was independently confirmed in this update. Phillips is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Updated October 12, 2026. Charges are allegations, not convictions. Historical certification information is identified as a dated snapshot rather than a current employment determination.