A Shively Police officer was arrested Tuesday and suspended without pay after allegedly using the department's Flock license plate reader system to track a woman he shares a child with more than 2,000 times over five months, authorities announced Wednesday. Officer Asad Zahir, who joined the department in 2022, was charged with multiple counts of official misconduct and unlawful access to a computer, according to court records first reported by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting.

Shively Police Chief Andre Bottoms said the 34-officer department discovered the unauthorized searches after Flock Safety's artificial intelligence monitoring system flagged Zahir's activity as potentially improper. More than 200 of the 2,048 searches occurred during a period when the woman had obtained an Indiana court-issued protective order against Zahir. The department immediately revoked his access to Flock and arrested him less than 24 hours later.

"It's almost like locking up a member of my family," Bottoms said at a news conference. "But I do take my responsibility of being the chief seriously…we still got to do what's right by the public."

The case marks the latest in a troubling pattern of law enforcement officers misusing Flock systems nationwide. Flock's auditing tool, now required by the company, was designed to flag abnormal use after growing concerns about officers stalking exes or romantic interests. Louisville Metro Police previously disciplined a commander after discovering an officer had shared Flock login credentials with a federal immigration agent.

The arrest comes as Kentucky communities increasingly debate the technology, with some cities stepping away from the program over privacy concerns. Fort Mitchell and Newport have ended their Flock contracts, while Hartford police recently declined to install the cameras following community opposition.

Bottoms defended Flock's legitimate law enforcement uses, noting the system has aided in recovering stolen vehicles, finding missing children and solving homicides since Shively began using it approximately four years ago. "The value of this technology does not excuse its misuse," he said.

In response to the arrest, Shively Police implemented new safeguards requiring officers to list a case number when accessing the Flock system. Bottoms said an investigation is underway to determine which cameras Zahir searched and that the department will conduct a comprehensive review of Flock policies and protocols.

Zahir lost all police powers while remaining suspended. He is scheduled for arraignment Friday.