Ex-Fort Pierce cop arrested for using police Flock databases to track ex-girlfriend
(Cover photo: Former Fort Pierce police officer Josepher Crutchfield arrested)
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A former Fort Pierce police officer is facing four felony counts unauthorized computer access after investigators say he repeatedly accessed law enforcement databases to monitor a vehicle registered to his ex-girlfriend. Josepher Crutchfield was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 8, and was being held at the St. Lucie County Jail on an $80,000 secured bond.
According to Fort Pierce Police Chief David Smith, investigators determined Crutchfield accessed the department’s Flock automated license plate reader system 382 times to search the same license plate between October 2025 and July 2026. Many of those searches reportedly occurred while Crutchfield was off duty and were conducted without a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
The investigation expanded beyond Flock to include other restricted law enforcement databases, including FCIC/NCIC, DAVID and TLO. Police said those systems can contain sensitive personal information such as addresses and dates of birth.
Investigators also found additional searches involving the same vehicle and other individuals that allegedly lacked a legitimate police purpose. The four databases involved correspond to the four felony charges against Crutchfield.
The case began after concerns about possible database misuse were brought to the department’s attention in August. Crutchfield was placed on administrative leave Aug. 7, had his access to law enforcement systems revoked and resigned from the department Aug. 18, before the criminal investigation was completed.
Police notified the woman whose information was accessed. Chief Smith stopped short of officially characterizing the alleged conduct as stalking, saying investigators would not speculate about Crutchfield’s intentions, although the circumstances indicated he was tracking his former girlfriend.
“This is a black eye for the agency,” Smith said, while emphasizing that the department has an obligation to investigate suspected criminal conduct regardless of an officer’s position.
In response to the case, Fort Pierce police announced tighter controls on database access. Flock searches will now require approval from a deputy chief, be conducted only by lieutenants or higher-ranking personnel, and be connected to a case number. Use of the system will be limited to forcible-felony investigations and missing or endangered-person cases.
The department also reduced Flock data retention from 30 days to seven days and created a position within its Office of Professional Standards to conduct monthly audits of database use.
Smith said a broader review of employee database activity has so far uncovered no additional violations. “The badge does not provide immunity from accountability,” Smith said.
For more on Smith’s press conference where he details Crutchfield’s arrest on allegations he misused FLOCK database cameras to track his former girlfriend’s vehicle, see the video below,
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(Sources: Fort Pierce Police Department, ABC 25 News, CBS12-News, WPTV)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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