SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY | ALPR MISUSE
Michael Thomas Steffman: Braselton Police Chief Accused of Using License Plate Readers to Stalk People — and the Case Left Behind After His Death
Braselton, Georgia. A police chief entrusted with public safety became the subject of a multi-month criminal investigation into alleged stalking and misuse of automated license plate reader systems. Michael Thomas Steffman, 49, retired or resigned on November 19, 2025, the same day the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced his arrest. Five months later, he died, leaving questions about how access to sensitive vehicle-location data was supervised.
The GBI’s November 19, 2025 arrest announcement
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that Steffman had been arrested and charged with Violation of Oath by Public Officer, Stalking, Harassing Communications and multiple counts of Misuse of Automated License Plate Recognition Systems. According to the agency, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office requested an investigation into allegations against the chief. After a multi-month inquiry, investigators alleged that he used automated license plate recognition data to harass and stalk multiple people.
Steffman was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Jackson County Jail. Subsequent reporting described release on a $13,000 bond. The GBI said the completed case would be submitted to the Piedmont Judicial Circuit for prosecution. The initial announcement did not disclose the number or identity of complainants, the exact search count, individual plates or a detailed audit log.
Read the original GBI press release ↗
A chief’s departure just hours before the arrest became public
Steffman had joined the Braselton Police Department in 2005, served as interim chief beginning in 2024 and was appointed permanent chief in April 2025. On November 19, the town announced his retirement or resignation for personal reasons, effective immediately. Later that day, news of the arrest emerged. Town Manager Jennifer Scott appointed Zack Tiller as interim police chief. The timing is documented, but the available announcements do not establish exactly when town officials first learned of the investigation.
Read the local report on the transition ↗
The earlier protective-order petition
WSB-TV reported on a Braselton woman’s petition for a stalking protective order filed before the criminal arrest. In her petition, the woman alleged that Steffman used license plate readers to monitor her movements, contacted her from multiple telephone numbers, followed her to a neighborhood and sent a map of an area she had visited. She also alleged that he tracked her travel to Gas South Arena.
The judge denied the protective order in August 2025, finding insufficient credible evidence presented that day to support current allegations of stalking. The ruling was not a finding that every allegation was false, and it should not be presented as proof of criminal guilt either. According to WSB-TV, the petitioner was advised to report the matter to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The GBI’s later criminal investigation used a different investigative process and evidentiary record; the sources reviewed do not establish that the petition alone caused the GBI case.
Read WSB-TV’s reporting on the petition and ruling ↗
Why license plate reader access matters
Automated license plate reader networks can capture a vehicle’s plate, location and time of travel, and authorized users may query historical detections. Such records can help solve crimes, but repeated searches of a private person’s movements can also reveal travel patterns and sensitive associations. The Steffman allegations demonstrate why public agencies need individual user accounts, documented reasons for searches, supervisory review, access controls and tamper-resistant audit logs. An allegation of database misuse is not evidence that every camera search made by the agency was improper.
April 24, 2026: Steffman’s death
Memorial Park Funeral Homes confirms that Michael Thomas Steffman died on April 24, 2026, at age 49. The obituary lists a celebration of life held May 16, 2026, and describes his family, community interests and long police career. The obituary does not establish a cause of death, and this article makes no inference about one.
His death changes how the public should describe the case. The available materials establish arrest and charges in November 2025; they do not establish a criminal conviction. Nor do they independently establish a final docket disposition before or after his death. The status of any remaining proceedings should be confirmed through the Jackson County Superior Court clerk or Piedmont Judicial Circuit records rather than assumed.
Read the funeral home’s obituary ↗
Chronology
- 2005: Steffman joins Braselton Police Department.
- 2024: Serves as interim police chief.
- April 2025: Appointed permanent police chief.
- August 2025: Judge denies a woman’s stalking protective-order request, as later reported by WSB-TV.
- November 19, 2025: Braselton announces Steffman’s immediate retirement or resignation; GBI announces arrest on stalking, harassment, oath and ALPR misuse charges.
- November 2025: Zack Tiller named interim chief.
- April 24, 2026: Steffman dies at age 49.
- May 16, 2026: Family holds celebration of life.
Original Shields of Shame evidence
Document note: The supplied certification PDF is made available as an original record. This article does not assign training-hour totals, disciplinary status or certification dates not independently extracted and verified from that PDF.
Records still worth requesting
- GBI case number, arrest warrants, affidavits and publicly releasable charging documents.
- Full ALPR query audit: username, timestamps, stated search purpose, plate queries, result views and exports, with legally required privacy redactions.
- Braselton ALPR access policy, administrator permissions, supervisor audit procedures and any alerts of unusual searches.
- Communications between the town, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, GBI and license plate reader provider concerning investigation and account preservation.
- Georgia POST certification history and any investigation or separation notifications.
- Certified court docket reflecting whether charges were indicted, dismissed, abated or otherwise disposed of following Steffman’s death.
Frequently asked questions
What was Michael Steffman charged with?
In November 2025, the GBI announced oath-of-office, stalking, harassing communications and multiple automated license plate reader misuse charges.
Did the judge grant a protective order?
No. WSB-TV reported that a judge denied an earlier petition in August 2025, before the GBI announced its criminal charges.
When did Michael Steffman die?
His funeral home lists April 24, 2026. He was 49.
Was Steffman convicted?
The sources reviewed establish an arrest and charges, not a conviction. The final criminal docket disposition has not been verified for this article.
Sources and further reading
GBI official arrest announcement ↗
WSB-TV protective-order reporting ↗
Atlanta News First retirement and arrest report ↗
Now Georgia report and interim chief ↗
Memorial Park Funeral Homes obituary ↗
Updated October 13, 2026. This report separates documented events, attributed allegations, judicial decisions and unverified procedural outcomes. No finding of guilt is implied.