A Georgia Department of Corrections special agent has been arrested for allegedly misusing the state’s license plate reader system, adding another case to the continuing controversy surrounding Flock Safety cameras and other automated license plate readers in Georgia.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says Robert “Bobby” Michael Keim, 45, of Eatonton, a GDC Special Agent in Charge, was arrested September 1 and charged with Misuse of a License Plate Reader System.

According to the GBI, the Georgia Department of Corrections contacted the agency on August 18 and requested an investigation into allegations involving the department’s Flock Safety system. Investigators say preliminary information indicates Keim used the system for non-law-enforcement purposes. The GBI has not publicly disclosed what searches Keim is accused of making or why they were made.

Keim was booked into the Putnam County Jail. The investigation remains active, and the case will be turned over to the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office when the GBI investigation is completed. The charge is an allegation, and Keim has not been convicted.

The arrest comes amid growing scrutiny of automated license plate readers across Georgia.

Flock cameras photograph passing vehicles and record information including license plates, vehicle characteristics and location. Law enforcement agencies say the technology can help locate stolen vehicles and missing people and provide investigators with leads in criminal cases. Critics have raised concerns about privacy, the size of the camera network, data sharing and the possibility that people with legitimate access could use the system for unauthorized purposes.

Those concerns have received additional attention following a series of investigations into alleged misuse by law enforcement personnel. Since July, the GBI has announced charges against numerous current or former law enforcement employees accused of accessing license plate reader information for purposes unrelated to law enforcement. Cases have involved personnel in several parts of Georgia, including Albany, Conyers, Polk County and Savannah.

Georgia law already restricts access to license plate reader information. Data maintained by law enforcement is supposed to be accessed for legitimate law enforcement purposes, and knowingly obtaining or using the information under false pretenses or for an unauthorized purpose can result in criminal charges. Agencies using the technology are also required to maintain policies governing its use and training.

Flock Safety has also announced additional safeguards, including moving toward a seven-day default retention period, requiring case codes for searches and using auditing technology designed to identify potentially unusual searches.

The debate over the cameras continues in Georgia, with supporters pointing to their usefulness in solving crimes while opponents and privacy advocates question how much information should be collected, how long it should be retained and who should have access to it. Recent arrests have increasingly focused attention on another issue — how agencies ensure that people authorized to use the systems are using them only for legitimate law enforcement purposes.

Anyone with information concerning the Keim investigation can contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Milledgeville at 478-445-4173. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the GBI.