SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA FLOCK ABUSE DATABASE | POLK COUNTY
Tracey J. Royston: Former Polk County Investigator Charged After Alleged Misuse of Cedartown’s Flock Camera System
She worked for Polk County Police. Investigators say she searched Cedartown Police Department’s Flock Safety system for personal reasons. Former Polk County Police Department investigator Tracey J. Royston was arrested on August 7, 2026, and charged with four misdemeanor counts of misuse of a license plate reader system. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the alleged improper searches took place during 2024 and 2025. The case raises an important question about who audits cross-agency access when officers use surveillance databases owned by another department.
What the GBI alleges
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported that Royston accessed the Cedartown Police Department’s Flock Safety automated license plate reader system multiple times for non-law-enforcement purposes. Investigators charged her with four misdemeanor counts of misuse of a license plate reader system. The precise number of searches, plate identifiers, search justifications and people potentially affected were not specified in the case information provided to Shields of Shame.
Four criminal counts should not automatically be equated with exactly four database queries. The underlying audit export and charging documents are necessary to establish the relationship between searches, alleged incidents and individual counts. The allegations remain unproven unless established in court.
Three agencies, one chain of access
Royston’s employment and task-force assignment make this case distinctive. She worked for the Polk County Police Department and was assigned to the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force, described in the supplied case summary as GBI-managed. Investigators say her access reached the Cedartown Police Department’s Flock system. Those three institutional roles are not interchangeable: Polk County employed her, the task force provided an investigative assignment, and Cedartown was the agency whose system was reportedly searched.
Cross-agency access can be legitimate for regional criminal investigations, but it creates accountability questions. Who approved the credentials? Did Cedartown review task-force users’ searches? Were Polk County supervisors notified of alerts? Could the task force independently audit searches? And what records show whether any particular query was connected to an active case?
Read supplied GBI announcement image ↗
Resignation and arrest one day apart
According to the supplied case summary, Royston resigned on August 6, 2026 while under investigation and was arrested on August 7, 2026. Those are separate events. A resignation does not establish guilt, and an arrest is not a conviction. Her later court proceedings and any final personnel or certification consequences require updated records.
Georgia POST: File Review Required versus active certifications
The supplied Georgia POST profile reportedly showed officer status as “File Review Required” while listing three certifications as active when the report was generated. That combination is not necessarily contradictory: a file-review designation concerns administrative review, while individual certifications may retain their active status until a separate POST action changes them. It would be inaccurate to call the certifications revoked or suspended without evidence of that action.
View original Georgia POST certification screenshot ↗
The training record: what it can and cannot prove
The supplied Georgia POST training record is an important companion to the certification profile. Readers can review the documented training history and identify whether any courses specifically address license plate reader systems, criminal intelligence databases, privacy, ethics or permissible law-enforcement purposes. However, absence of a course with “Flock” in its title would not alone prove the officer never received vendor onboarding, task-force instruction or agency-specific training.
Read Tracey Royston Georgia POST training record (PDF) ↗
Why license plate searches deserve independent oversight
Automated license plate reader technology records observations of vehicle tags, often with times and locations. Police may use those records to locate vehicles associated with crimes or identify investigative leads. But when access is shared across departments and task forces, the audit system must show not only who searched but why, what case supported the query, who supervised the user and who received alerts about possible misuse.
In this case, the public cannot assess the scope of the alleged conduct without the original Cedartown search logs and any related task-force authorization records. Neither a press release nor a charge summary supplies the full answer.
Case timeline
- 2024–2025: GBI alleges Royston accessed Cedartown Police Department’s Flock system multiple times for non-law-enforcement purposes.
- August 6, 2026: Royston reportedly resigns from Polk County Police Department while under investigation.
- August 7, 2026: GBI reportedly arrests Royston on four misdemeanor counts involving license plate reader misuse.
- After the investigation begins: Supplied POST profile identifies “File Review Required,” with three certifications listed active at the time of the snapshot.
- October 13, 2026: Shields of Shame publishes the case file and supporting images and training document.
The records that could settle the unanswered questions
Request the native Cedartown Flock audit export for Royston’s user account, including every query timestamp, plate searched where releasable, stated investigative reason, associated case number, viewed results, exports and alert history. Ask Polk County Police and the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force for her account-authorization documents, memoranda of understanding, applicable ALPR policies, training acknowledgments, supervisor reviews and investigative referrals. Separately request GBI charging documents, the arrest affidavit, POST investigation records and updated court docket information. Agencies should cite the specific Georgia Open Records Act exemptions supporting any redactions or withholding.
Source document gallery
GBI arrest announcement image ↗
Georgia POST training record — PDF ↗
Frequently asked questions
What was Royston charged with?
Four misdemeanor counts of misuse of a license plate reader system, according to the supplied GBI case summary.
Which Flock system was allegedly accessed?
The Cedartown Police Department’s system, although Royston worked for Polk County Police and was assigned to a regional drug task force.
Did she resign or was she fired?
The supplied account reports a resignation on August 6, 2026.
Does “File Review Required” mean POST revoked her certification?
No. The supplied snapshot reportedly still listed three certifications as active. A later official determination would be needed to establish a sanction.
Whose plates were searched?
The available case summary does not identify the plates or the individuals involved.
Was she convicted?
No conviction or final criminal disposition is established by the materials used here.
Related Georgia ALPR investigations
William Dallas Hancock — Tift County Sheriff’s Office ↗
Sierra Donrelle Carroll — Houston County Sheriff’s Office ↗
Institute for Justice — ALPR abuse research ↗
Editorial note: This article distinguishes allegations, arrest, employment separation and administrative POST status. Royston is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Exact search counts, affected plates and any final court disposition require additional records. Published October 13, 2026.