미국 '올해의 부보안관', 감시카메라 플랫폼으로 전 여자친구 몰래 추적

Brevard County deputy sheriff Michael Fultz resigned from the force after an internal investigation detailed extreme cases of alleged sexual misconduct, racism, and abuse, including Fultz’s use of Flock to stalk his ex-girlfriend. News6 in Florida first reported the story , and 404 Media has uncovered additional details about the former deputy’s use of Flock after obtaining a copy of the investigation. Hired in 2024, Brevard County named Fultz its Deputy of the Year in 2025. The day of the ceremony Fultz’s ex-girlfriend sent a letter of complaint to the sheriff’s office with a long list of complaints about his behavior. The letter was enough to prompt the sheriffs to investigate Fultz which is when they discovered he’d used Flock to stalk her. The 43-page investigation found Fultz had posed for pictures as Adolf Hitler, freely used racial slurs in texts, masturbated on camera in his police vehicle, took pictures of his ex-girlfriend with his service weapon in her mouth during sex, repeatedly broke the law to generate clout online for his motorcycle themed Instagram and TikTok accounts, and used Flock to stalk his ex-girlfriend. One of the sheriff's office’s key findings was that Fultz used Flock to spy on his ex and bragged about it to her. When questioned about using Flock, Fultz told investigators that he remembered the conversation with his ex but “denied checking her vehicle registration to spy on her or out of revenge.” The investigators audited the Flock logs and found that Fultz had, indeed, tracked her movements. When someone runs a search using Flock, the system requires users to enter a reason. Fultz flagged his search for his ex as a general investigation, and simply entered “investigation” as the reason. Investigators also found that Fultz accessed Flock while he was off-duty. “Deputy Fultz agreed that he would have entered the registration number prior to leaving for work based on the time, and denied using his agency laptop. Deputy Fultz explained all his flock inquiries were made from his agency-issued cellular telephone,” the investigation said. Fultz denied he was using Flock to stalk his ex. He claimed to investigators that he may have been showing her how it works, and denied spying on her. The report also states that he said “he had her location on Snapchat, so it wouldn’t have benefitted him to track her on Flock.” Fultz’s abuse of Flock is just one piece of a much larger investigation into his behavior. In an image provided by his ex, he “had shaved your mustache to resemble Adolf Hitler and [was] demonstrating a Nazi salute,” the investigation said. She also “provided photographic evidence of you holding a firearm to her head and also inserting it into her mouth while having sex.” She said it was consensual, according to the investigation, but “she realized it was a poor idea and inappropriate for a deputy sheriff. The firearm in the images appears to be an agency-issued Walther.” In April 2025, Fultz shot and killed a man who charged him with a knife. “She specifically noted that the sexual encounter where you introduced the firearm occurred after your on-duty shooting incident.” She also shared numerous text messages where Fultz used racial slurs. “She described Deputy Fultz as active on Discord and other web-based chats and believes his attempted humor was reflective of the dark humor he observes on those sites,” the investigation said. When questioned about this, Fultz pointed to his childhood and an edgy card game. “Deputy Fultz said he grew up in a foster home with black parents and siblings, and the words became normal to use. Deputy Fultz stated that although he would not use the words in public, he felt comfortable using them via text messages” with his ex, the investigation said. “Deputy Fultz did recall playing an edgy game called ‘Cards Against Humanity’ on several occasions, but he stated it never turned into anything more than edgy humor which is the design of the game.” Investigators also found that Fultz had been pulled over for speeding on his motorcycle and covering up his license tag at least four times, including one incident where he was going 111 MPH. He walked away from every interaction after identifying himself as a member of law enforcement. Investigators told him he had to keep his motorcycle’s license tags visible. “Inexcplicably, within 30 minutes of the direct order you were provided, you drove your motorcycle out of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office parking lot with no license tag attached. The incident was captured on video and preserved as part of the investigation,” the investigation said. Fultz explained he was speeding and covering his tag for online clout. “Deputy Fultz stated he made several posts to his account about riding with no license tag, claiming it was a trend that he followed. Deputy Fultz stated the posts were to get more ‘likes’ and ‘views’ on his account. Deputy Fultz claimed that he uses AI to generate some of the images,” the investigation said. At the end of the investigation, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office made it clear that Fultz would not keep his job, but they allowed him to resign rather than be fired. “Although termination is warranted for your egregious misconduct, due to the fact you are no longer employed by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, this Administrative Investigation is closed and referred to file,” the investigation concluded. Fultz is just one of a growing list of law enforcement officers who are losing their jobs and, sometimes, getting arrested across the country for abusing their Flock access. An officer in Charlotte, South Carolina was arrested after misusing Flock in July. The town of Greer, South Carolina suspended its Flock contract after it discovered two of its officers used the system to stalk their exes. Another South Carolina officer was fired after an audit discovered she’d used Flock 166 times to watch an ex. Fultz is unique in that he told the person he was watching that he used the Flock camera system to spy on her. Many of the stalking victims don’t find out about the abuse until it’s gone on for months or even years. The investigation also paints a broader picture of the kind of law enforcement officer who abuses their access to Flock. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office provided 404 Media with a copy of its investigation but did not respond to a request for comment. About the author Matthew Gault is a writer covering weird tech, nuclear war, and video games. He’s worked for Reuters, Motherboard, and the New York Times. More from Matthew Gault