SHIELDS OF SHAME • GEORGIA FLOCK MISUSE DATABASE • CASE 035
Marquis Ramond Dillard: Savannah Homicide Detective Arrested in Flock Misuse Investigation — 400-Plus Searches Alleged
The GBI charged a former Savannah police officer after an internal audit. Later court proceedings, employee appeals and testimony about prior undisclosed misuse raise larger questions about the department’s surveillance oversight.
The August 21 arrest: three charges
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced on August 21, 2026, that it arrested Marquis Dillard, 48, of Savannah, charging him with two counts of Misuse of a License Plate Reader System and one count of Violation of Oath of Office. Dillard was among four former Savannah Police Department employees booked into the Chatham County Jail after an internal audit of the agency’s Flock Safety system. The GBI said preliminary information indicated access for non-law-enforcement purposes.
The other arrested employees were Donald Phillips, Matthew Rich and Calandic Thomas. Dillard, Phillips and Rich were sworn officers at the time of the alleged offenses; Thomas was a Community Service Specialist. The GBI identified two Flock misuse counts for each person, but Thomas was not charged with the oath count in the announcement. These are accusations, not convictions.
What the Institute for Justice says about Dillard’s searches
The Institute for Justice’s national ALPR abuse database reports that Dillard was accused of making more than 400 Flock searches involving a romantic rival. That is a serious allegation and a lead for further reporting, but it is not independently confirmed here from the original audit log or arrest affidavit. The GBI’s initial announcement did not provide a Dillard-specific search count, query dates, target plates or search reasons. Those source records are necessary to establish what the database actually recorded and what investigators concluded.
How the investigation began: an internal audit and GBI referral
According to the GBI, Savannah Police requested an outside investigation on July 29, 2026 following an internal audit of the Flock Safety system. Public accounts describe a broader review of approximately 39,000 searches in 2026, with 127 flagged for review and 34 considered unjustified by department reviewers. Those figures describe the agency-wide audit, not Dillard’s individual search history; they must not be confused with the 400-plus searches attributed to him in a separate source.
The department terminated six employees in early August: four sworn officers and two civilian workers, according to subsequent reporting. The GBI’s August 21 announcement concerned four arrests, not six. The two remaining employees were not named in the GBI release. The arrests should not be characterized as proof of a coordinated conspiracy.
September 17 court update: out on bond, case sent to Superior Court
WTOC reported that Dillard, Phillips and Rich appeared in Recorder’s Court on September 17, 2026. All three were reportedly out on bond and waived their preliminary hearings, allowing their cases to move to Superior Court for possible grand-jury consideration. Waiving a preliminary hearing is a procedural choice; it is not a guilty plea, conviction or indictment. No later indictment or final criminal disposition was independently verified in the sources reviewed here.
September Civil Service Board testimony reveals earlier Flock misuse
During a September 21 employee appeal hearing involving former officer Matthew Rich, WTOC reported testimony from a Savannah Police internal investigator that the department had encountered earlier Flock misuse and handled those cases internally without referring them to the GBI. Another witness, described as the department’s head of training, said there was no formal Flock-specific training because the system was a vendor product. Those statements were reported in a hearing involving Rich, not a finding about Dillard’s individual training or guilt.
They do, however, raise questions that reach beyond any one defendant: What earlier cases were documented? How were sanctions determined? Who decided whether outside criminal investigation was warranted? What written policies, onboarding materials and user acknowledgments governed Flock searches?
Training history: the original POST record
Shields of Shame is publishing Dillard’s supplied Georgia POST training record so readers can evaluate his documented law-enforcement training. A course transcript does not by itself prove what an officer was told about a specific Flock software feature or establish the outcome of any later POST investigation. Current certification, separation and disciplinary status require a fresh official POST record.
Read Marquis Dillard’s Georgia POST training record PDF ↗
Case timeline
- July 2026: Savannah Police reviews Flock activity and identifies searches requiring further examination.
- July 29: Savannah Police requests GBI investigation after its internal audit.
- Early August: Six department employees are terminated, according to subsequent reporting.
- August 21: GBI announces arrests of Dillard, Phillips, Rich and Thomas; Dillard faces two misuse counts and one oath count.
- September 15–16: Civil Service Board proceedings begin for several terminated employees.
- September 17: Dillard and two former colleagues waive preliminary hearings; cases move toward Superior Court and possible grand-jury review.
- September 21: Testimony in a separate employee appeal describes earlier internally handled Flock misuse and absence of formal Flock-specific training.
- October 12: No verified final criminal judgment identified in this research.
Original Shields of Shame exhibits
Exhibit 1 — Georgia POST training record (PDF) ↗
Exhibit 2 — Officer photograph ↗
Primary and independent reporting
GBI — Official August 21 arrest announcement ↗
WTOC — September 17 court update ↗
WTOC — September 21 internal-investigator testimony ↗
WJCL — Civil Service Board appeals ↗
Institute for Justice — ALPR abuse database and 400-plus allegation ↗
Related Shields of Shame case: Donald Phillips ↗
Records needed to resolve the biggest questions
- Dillard’s full native Flock query and export audit, including timestamps, reasons, plate identifiers, case numbers and result access
- Original July internal audit, 127 flagged entries and 34 unjustified-query findings, with individual account attribution
- Flock Audit Assist settings, audit schedules, supervisor notifications and reviewer notes
- Arrest warrants, affidavits, Recorder’s Court case records, Superior Court docket and any indictment or disposition
- Employee termination records, internal affairs findings and any Dillard-specific Civil Service Board appeal
- All historical Flock misuse cases referenced during September 21 testimony, including discipline and GBI-referral decisions
- Flock user-policy versions, vendor training, agency acknowledgments and permission rosters
- Current Georgia POST profile, any investigation and any final certification order
Frequently asked questions
What was Marquis Dillard 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 more than 400 searches alleged?
Yes, the Institute for Justice reports that allegation, involving a romantic rival. The precise count still needs independent verification from original logs.
What happened in court?
WTOC reported Dillard was out on bond and waived his preliminary hearing September 17, sending the case toward Superior Court for potential grand-jury consideration.
Were six employees arrested?
No. Six employees were reportedly terminated, while the GBI’s August 21 announcement identified four arrests.
Has Dillard been convicted?
No final criminal disposition was verified in the sources reviewed. The presumption of innocence applies.
Updated October 12, 2026. Criminal allegations, administrative actions, historical records and court proceedings are distinguished throughout this report.