SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA FLOCK ABUSE INVESTIGATION
Kabiru Salawu: DeKalb Sheriff’s Sergeant Fired and Charged in Flock Misuse Investigation
A nearly 17-year law-enforcement career ended with an arrest on July 17, 2026. What the agency has disclosed, what the records show, and what remains unanswered.
Kabiru Salawu and the DeKalb County Flock misuse investigation
Kabiru Salawu wasn’t a rookie.
He was a sergeant with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office who had worked for the agency since August 24, 2009, nearly 17 years in law enforcement.
Then came an investigation into his use of Flock Safety license plate readers. Just like many cops before him and many will follow!
In July 2026, the Sheriff’s Office announced that Salawu had been fired and arrested, accusing him of accessing Flock technology for unauthorized purposes. He was charged with felony violation of oath of office and misdemeanor misuse of license plate data. At the time of the initial reporting, he was being held in the DeKalb County Jail without bond.
And this is where the story gets bigger than one deputy.
What the arrest means for Georgia POST certification
Getting fired and losing a Georgia peace-officer certification are not the same thing.
An agency can terminate an officer immediately, while the officer’s certification is a separate matter handled through Georgia’s POST system. That makes Salawu’s certification history and any subsequent POST action an important part of this story. An arrest or termination should not be described as a revocation unless POST records actually establish that.
What is established is serious enough.
The Institute for Justice now includes Salawu in its national ALPR Abuse Database, categorizing the DeKalb case as “Non Law-Enforcement Use” involving Flock.
And Salawu was hardly an isolated case.
The real power is the searchable database behind it, and the people who are trusted with access.
Salawu’s case raises the question every community using automated license-plate readers should be asking:
Who is watching the people doing the watching?
Sheriff Melody Maddox called unauthorized use of law-enforcement technology or confidential information a serious breach of public trust. In Salawu’s case, the agency says that breach was serious enough to end a nearly 17-year career and result in criminal charges.
Primary evidence: Georgia POST certification record
Read the original certification file. The record should not be taken as proof of a later revocation unless it expressly documents that action.
Now the certification record matters.
Because firing an officer removes his badge from one agency.
POST action determines whether that badge can potentially follow him somewhere else.
This is exactly why Flock audit logs, user-search histories, disciplinary records and POST certification files belong in the public-accountability conversation.
The cameras watch us.
The audit logs can help us watch them.
CASE STATUS | REVIEWED OCTOBER 8, 2026
Latest verified reporting and unresolved questions
On July 17, 2026, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office announced that former Sgt. Kabiru Salawu had been fired and arrested following an internal investigation into allegedly unauthorized use of Flock Safety license-plate-reader technology. News reports identified a felony violation-of-oath charge and misdemeanor misuse-of-license-plate-data charge. His employment began August 24, 2009. These are reported agency actions and criminal allegations, not findings of guilt.
What remains unknown: The Sheriff’s Office did not publicly specify which plates were searched, how many searches were involved, who or what triggered the internal inquiry, or the purpose investigators attributed to the searches. We have not independently verified a subsequent conviction, dismissal, final court disposition, or Georgia POST revocation. Initial reports that he was jailed without bond describe July 2026 conditions, not his present custody status.
Related statewide context: Other Georgia agencies have reported Flock access investigations, and some agencies have begun using audit features to identify searches that appear inconsistent with authorized use. Those separate cases do not establish what happened in Salawu’s investigation.
Independent reporting
Why the Flock search history matters
Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) record vehicle plate information that authorized users can search. In a misuse investigation, the questions extend beyond whether a camera captured a plate: investigators need to establish who searched the system, when searches occurred, what purpose was recorded, and whether that purpose was authorized. Audit logs, agency access policies, investigative findings and disciplinary records can help answer those questions.
Kabiru Salawu case: key questions
Was Salawu fired or criminally charged?
According to the July 2026 announcement described above, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office reported both termination and arrest. The listed charges are allegations; a charge is not a conviction.
Did the arrest automatically revoke his POST certification?
No. Employment, criminal proceedings and Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification are distinct processes. The certification documents linked above should be read alongside any subsequent POST action rather than treated as proof of an outcome they do not establish.
What records help establish whether an ALPR search was authorized?
Relevant records may include Flock user-search audit logs, recorded search reasons, access permissions, agency policy, internal-investigation findings and POST records. The availability of individual records depends on the applicable public-records rules and any lawful exemptions.
Explore the Georgia Flock abuse investigation
For related investigations, agency-by-agency reporting and documents, visit the Shields of Shame Georgia Flock Abuse Database. Each case requires its own evidence and due-process analysis.
Georgia Flock Abuse Database ↗ SOS Reporting Archive ↗
Editorial note: This report distinguishes reported agency findings, pending criminal allegations and independent court or certification determinations. Corrections and documentary updates are welcome.
#FlockSafety #PoliceAccountability #DeKalbCounty #ALPR #ShieldsofShame