Independent reporting for an informed and empowered public.
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Independent public-interest newsroom
The Ocmulgee Free Press reports on government accountability, civil rights, public records, surveillance, and civic life in Macon-Bibb, Middle Georgia, and communities where the issues carry broader public importance.
Published work
LocalLOCAL | FLOCK WATCH
Sheriff Matt Moulton says a shorter retention window could deprive investigators of useful information. The decision also keeps ordinary motorists' vehicle-location records searchable four times longer than Flock's new recommendation.
LocalOPEN RECORDS | GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office says open-records requests are automatically extended 60 days, a blanket timeline that raises questions under Georgia’s requirement that records be produced as soon as practicable.
FLOCK WatchFLOCK WATCH | CIVIL LIBERTIES
The bipartisan vote followed months of public opposition and concerns about surveillance, data sharing and inadequate oversight.
FLOCK WatchFLOCK WATCH | WATCHING THE WATCHERS
Flock Safety markets its automated license plate readers as tools for finding vehicles connected to crimes. Documented cases show what can happen when an alert is mistaken for proof.
LocalFLOCK WATCH | WATCHING THE WATCHERS
A Houston County school resource officer has been suspended after an audit found alleged misuse of Flock license plate reader data, adding to a growing series of Georgia cases that expose a basic problem with surveillance safeguards: too often, they identify abuse only after someone has already been searched.
AccountabilityCivil rights & accountability
A court-created doctrine often prevents people from holding government officials accountable for constitutional violations. Here’s how qualified immunity works, why it remains controversial and where reform efforts stand.
FLOCK WatchFLOCK WATCH | WATCHING THE WATCHERS
Flock Safety markets its Transparency Portal as public accountability, but incomplete search logs, corporate messaging and carefully framed FAQs make independent scrutiny nearly impossible.
LocalFLOCK WATCH | WATCHING THE WATCHERS
An independent forensic review of 3,663 Flock Safety searches found hundreds with no identifiable case number, widespread recordkeeping failures and high-volume bursts of plate lookups that auditors say warrant additional scrutiny.