A Savannah police officer was fired after providing her husband, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, with unauthorized access to the police department’s Flock license plate reader system, according to documents reviewed by WJCL 22 News.
Amber Harpe gave her husband, Tyler Harpe, her Savannah Police Department username and password to access the system. He did not have his own Flock account through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
An internal audit flagged unusually high search volumes through Harpe’s account between January and July 2026. The investigation identified 983 search entries involving 97 identifiable license plates from Georgia, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. South Carolina plates accounted for most activity, with 48 plates generating 788 search entries. Department documents noted that most registered vehicle owners identified in the audit were Hispanic.
During interviews, Amber Harpe acknowledged she performed most searches involving Maryland and South Carolina plates, along with most Georgia vehicle searches. She said she rarely used Flock herself, primarily accessing it for missing-person cases involving behavioral health patients. She confirmed she understood sharing access was not permitted.
Tyler Harpe told investigators he requested his wife’s login information because he lacked federal Flock access. He stated he used the account for approximately four months to locate ICE targets with active arrest warrants and that every search related to his federal law enforcement work. He denied searching for personal reasons.
The Savannah Police Department concluded Harpe knowingly gave unauthorized access to a sensitive system, violated department policy and compromised safeguards tracking data usage. Major Michelle Halford raised concerns that department resources had been used without authorization to further immigration enforcement, noting the demographic patterns combined with the ICE agent’s role. She emphasized the arrangement exposed the department to legal and reputational risks.
Supervisors initially disagreed on punishment. Interim Major Max Nowinsky recommended an eight-hour suspension, citing no evidence of personal gain and Harpe’s clean work history since joining the department in March 2020. However, Halford and Police Chief Robert Gavin recommended termination, arguing that sharing personal credentials bypassed security protocols and undermined audit integrity. Gavin emphasized that credentials are assigned to individual authorized users to ensure accountability.
In her appeal, Harpe argued that firing was excessive, noting her husband was a certified federal law enforcement officer and all searches were for legitimate law enforcement purposes.
Key facts
- Amber Harpe, a Savannah police officer, gave her ICE agent husband access to the police department’s Flock license plate reader system using her credentials
- The unauthorized access resulted in 983 searches across six states between January and July 2026
- Most searches targeted vehicles with South Carolina license plates, with 48 plates generating 788 search entries
- Department officials noted most registered vehicle owners identified in the searches were Hispanic
- Tyler Harpe stated he used the account to locate ICE targets with active arrest warrants
- The Savannah Police Department fired Harpe for violating policy and compromising system security and audit integrity
- Initial supervisor disagreement occurred: one recommended suspension while others recommended termination