Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced Thursday the city is suspending its use of Flock automatic license plate readers and is investigating a police officer for potentially misusing the cameras.
Ginther and Police Chief Elaine Bryant said Officer Melvin Tellis has been relieved of duty, but not fired, as the city investigates his use of the cameras. A USA Today investigation found Tellis searched for a single vehicle's location more than 200 times using the city's cameras.
Bryant said the city doesn't believe the searches were part of an investigation. This follows reports at police departments around the country of police allegedly using the technology to stalk ex-girlfriends.
Bryant didn't say who owned the vehicle Tellis searched for or what the person's relationship to Tellis is. The investigation is ongoing.
A spokesperson for Columbus City Council confirmed that Tellis was part of the team that does security for council members. The spokesperson said Tellis worked security for every council member.
Tellis was based out of Precinct 9, which covers parts of southeast Columbus.
An internal audit conducted by Columbus police earlier this year didn't flag the potential misuse.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
