- Former Florida police officer facing four felony charges for unauthorized searches of law enforcement databases, including searching ex-girlfriend’s license plate 382 times off duty.
A former Florida police officer is facing four felony charges after investigators say he used law enforcement databases for something that had nothing to do with police work. Fort Pierce Police say former officer Josepher Crutchfield searched the same license plate in the department’s Flock system 382 times, and investigators determined the vehicle was registered to his ex-girlfriend.
Even more concerning, police say most of those searches were conducted while Crutchfield was off duty. Investigators say he repeatedly selected different reason categories for the searches despite finding no legitimate law-enforcement purpose for them.
The investigation began in August 2026 after Fort Pierce Police was contacted by the media about concerns involving possible misuse of its Flock automated license plate reader system. Crutchfield was placed on administrative leave on August 7, his access to law enforcement systems was revoked, and a criminal investigation formally began several days later…