INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — An Indian River County Sheriff’s Office sergeant remains on paid administrative leave while the agency investigates possible misuse of its Flock Safety automated license plate reader system and continues a broader audit of the technology.

Sgt. John Finnegan, 41, was placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 11 after questions were raised about his use of the system. The Sheriff’s Office has said the matter remains under investigation and has not publicly announced any finding of wrongdoing. Finnegan has not been charged with a crime.

An analysis of Flock audit records by TCPalm/USA TODAY found that Finnegan searched the same two license plates 574 times between March and October 2025. The records included search reasons such as “SUS” and “DAYTIME SEARCH FOR BEST RESULT.” Sheriff’s officials have not publicly identified the owners of the two vehicles or explained what those entries meant.

“Since a possible issue was brought to our attention, Sgt. Finnegan has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into this matter,” Lt. Kevin Jaworski, an IRCSO spokesperson, said in a statement reported by local media. Jaworski also said the agency had already begun an audit of its Flock camera system before the current matter surfaced and that the audit remains ongoing.

CBS12 reported Tuesday that Capt. Joe Aballo also confirmed Finnegan’s administrative leave and said the broader Flock audit was underway before the incident was brought to the agency’s attention. IRCSO has not publicly detailed what specific conduct investigators are reviewing or whether the audit has identified additional questionable searches.

The Indian River County investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of automated license plate readers across Florida. On Aug. 31, the Florida Department of Transportation ordered local agencies to remove license plate readers from state highway rights-of-way within 30 days. The order does not itself prohibit agencies from operating readers on county roads, municipal roads or private property.

The issue has also surfaced elsewhere on the Treasure Coast. Earlier this month, former Fort Pierce Police Officer Josepher Crutchfield was arrested on four felony counts after investigators alleged he improperly accessed law-enforcement databases. Police said he searched a vehicle associated with his ex-girlfriend hundreds of times in the Flock system. That case is separate from the Indian River County investigation.

Finnegan is an 18-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office who worked as a deputy and detective before becoming a sergeant. Personnel records cited by local reporting show he received a two-day suspension in August 2025 for insubordination, neglect of duty and abuse of rest periods. No public information reviewed by IRC Media establishes a connection between that prior discipline and the current Flock investigation.

As of Wednesday morning, Sept. 16, IRCSO had not announced charges against Finnegan or released additional findings from its internal investigation or broader Flock audit. Key unanswered questions include why the same two plates were searched 574 times, whether those searches were connected to legitimate investigations and whether the agency’s internal safeguards detected the activity before outside questions were raised.