Another Cherokee Sheriff’s Office employee has been fired and arrested after he was found to have misused the automated license plate reader system, the agency announced.
Jerry Shellhouse, 57, of Waleska, was fired and arrested Aug. 19 after an internal investigation, CSO reported. He is charged with one felony count of violation of oath of office and one misdemeanor count of prohibition on law enforcement retaining license plate data obtained through automated license plate recognition systems.
According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation started when the agency became aware of an allegation that an employee may have improperly used the system between October 2023 and December 2025 for non-law enforcement purposes.
This arrest comes after three of the agency’s employees were arrested earlier this year on similar charges of using CSO’s Flock Safety license plate cameras for purposes other than law enforcement.
Since then, the sheriff’s office reports that it has changed its Flock policy and implemented new safeguards for the system’s use, including conducting audits at least twice a year, limiting access to authorized users, requiring mandatory user certification for all individuals with system access, and providing additional training on the appropriate use of Flock technology.
The allegations against Shellhouse predate the new policies.
Shellhouse was booked into the Cherokee County jail and was released Wednesday night on a $3,812 bond.
Before his arrest, Shellhouse was assigned to CSO’s uniform patrol division.
“The actions taken in this case, along with the three arrests earlier this year, make our position unmistakably clear: misuse of this technology will not be tolerated,” said Sheriff Frank Reynolds.
Cherokee is among several agencies from across the state where law enforcement officers have recently been arrested on charges of misusing license plate reader technology.
Flock Safety, based in Atlanta, released a new tool earlier this year called Audit Assistance that flags abnormal activity and flags it for agencies to review. The company recently announced that law enforcement customers will be required to use the tool by the end of the year.
Flock and other license plate cameras have come under fire in recent weeks, with critics citing concerns about privacy. Law enforcement officials say the technology helps officers solve crimes and find missing people.
In July, the Nelson City Council voted to end the city’s contract with Flock and have its cameras removed.
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