SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Savannah Police Department terminated four sworn officers and two civilian employees following an internal investigation into misuse of the department’s Flock Safety License Plate Reader system. All six cases are also under independent criminal investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The six employees were placed on administrative leave last week after a proactive review of system activity identified searches that appeared to have been conducted for purposes unrelated to legitimate law enforcement activity.

SEE: Savannah Police investigating 6 employees over alleged misuse of license plate reader system

SPD started an internal investigation July 27 and referred all six cases to the GBI for independent criminal review.

What the investigation found

SPD’s administrative investigation determined the employees violated department policies governing the authorized use of law enforcement technology and departmental resources. Investigators found that employees were running searches on personal acquaintances and family members. One officer was found to have given someone from an outside law enforcement agency access to SPD’s Flock Safety system, which they weren’t authorized to do.

How the activity was detected

The activity was identified through the departments auditing and oversight of the Flock Safety system, including use of the Flock Safety Audit Assist program, which became available in April.

MORE: Savannah mayor, police chief feel ‘betrayed’ after 6 employees placed on leave for Flock camera misuse

Every search run through the Flock Safety platform is automatically logged — who ran it, when, and the reason they gave for doing it. SPD said they also have other safeguards in place, including mandatory training, role-based access controls and supervisory oversight.

Oversight changes following investigation

Following the findings, SPD implemented recurring weekly audits conducted by the Office of Professional Standards. Those reviews are designed to ensure compliance with department policy and identify irregular or potentially unauthorized activity.

What comes next

The internal investigation is wrapped up — the six employees have been terminated. But the GBI’s criminal investigation is still ongoing, and SPD said it will keep cooperating fully.

The names of the fired employees aren’t being released right now. The city and SPD said that’s because of the ongoing GBI criminal investigation and an employee appeals process still underway. They said more information will be made available when it’s legally permissible and won’t interfere with either process.