An Ohio police lieutenant allegedly used Flock cameras 29 times to track someone he knew. Now he’s facing a felony
Sharonville Lt. Walter Cordes faces up to a year in prison after he was indicted following a department audit of its Flock cameras.
A police lieutenant in Sharonville, Ohio, has been indicted on a felony charge for allegedly using department-issued Flock license plate reader cameras to track an individual 29 times for personal reasons unrelated to his job, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office. Walter Cordes, 48, a lieutenant with the Sharonville Police Department, conducted the searches between December 19, 2024, and April 20, 2026, according to the source.
A grand jury indicted him on October 13 on a single count of unauthorized use of a computer, cable, or telecommunication property, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison under Ohio law. The searches were discovered during a department audit in June when Cordes self-reported the incidents, prompting an investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.
Sharonville Police Chief Jim Nesbit confirmed that the audit uncovered additional improper use, which the department addressed, and stated that Lt. Cordes voluntarily disclosed his misuse of the system. The prosecutor emphasized that this marks the first time her office has charged a law enforcement official for misusing Flock technology since her tenure began, describing it as an undermining of public trust.
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