POLK COUNTY, Ga. — A former Polk County police officer who once worked with a multi-agency drug task force has been charged after investigators said she improperly accessed a license plate reader system for personal reasons.
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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Friday that former Polk County Police Department Officer Tracey Royston, 51, of Cedartown, is facing four misdemeanor counts of misuse of a license plate reader System.
Channel 2 Action News has previously reported on several officers in metro Atlanta and in the state who have been fired and arrested over misusing the cameras, including most recently in Coweta County, Savannah and Habersham County.
According to the GBI, the investigation began July 31 after the PCPD requested assistance looking into allegations involving the Cedartown Police Department’s Flock Safety System, a network of cameras that captures and stores license plate information.
Investigators said Royston previously served as an agent with the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force, which is managed by the GBI. Because of that role, she had access to the Cedartown Police Department’s Flock Safety System.
Investigators say Royston accessed the system multiple times between 2024 and 2025 for purposes unrelated to law enforcement, according to the GBI.
Royston was arrested Thursday and booked into the Polk County Jail.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Once completed, the case will be turned over to the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 800-597-TIPS (8477), online through the GBI’s tip portal, or by using the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
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