A former Naperville police officer tracked a resident's license plate roughly 150 times in three months using the city's Flock camera system.

Oscar Maldonado searched Flock for non-police purposes hundreds of times between June 18, 2025, and Sept. 15, 2025, according to records first reported by the Chicago Tribune. The ABC7 I-Team reported that Patrick Dowhen, the man tracked, was never accused of a crime.

Dowhen told the I-Team he first grew suspicious when his ex-fiancée would tell him where he had been. He said Maldonado was feeding her the information.

Dowhen said he disassembled his truck searching for a physical tracking device before bringing his concerns to Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres.

That complaint triggered an internal investigation in September 2025.

Investigation, resignation and criminal referral

Maldonado was placed on administrative leave during the probe. He left the department May 1, 2026, before his disciplinary hearing, according to an email to Arres obtained by the I-Team. Because he left before the process concluded, the department closed the case with no discipline enforced, Naperville Police Department spokesperson Rick Krakow told ABC7.

The internal investigation gathered more than 100 pieces of evidence, the I-Team reported. Investigators concluded there was "a preponderance of the evidence that shows Maldonado did commit the crime of Official Misconduct" and that he admitted to using Flock for personal reasons during his interrogation.

Naperville police shared evidence with the Will County Sheriff's Office, which referred the case to Will County prosecutors in early March 2026, according to the I-Team. The Will County State's Attorney's office told both ABC7 and the Tribune it would not confirm or deny any investigation.

The department also reported Maldonado's resignation and the investigation to the Illinois Law Enforcement and Training Standards Board.

Policy overhaul

The Naperville Police Department updated its ALPR policy, General Order 41.16, effective Sept. 8, 2026. A new section on auditing and accountability now explicitly bans officers from accessing the system for personal reasons, including searches involving family members, friends or acquaintances.

All access is logged and tied to individual authorized users. Routine data is purged after 30 days unless connected to an active investigation.

Arres said in a statement to the Tribune that the department will continue to develop strong auditing procedures and hold individuals accountable for misuse. At the Aug. 25 Will County Board meeting, weeks before the Maldonado case became public, Arres told board members that the answer is to establish strong policies and hold people accountable when they violate those policies, according to NCTV17.

Maldonado's defense attorney Jeff Tomczak told the ABC7 I-Team that while misusing Flock violates department policy, no specific Illinois statute makes it a crime. Another Maldonado attorney, Patty Kalkanis, told the Tribune that Illinois case law is "very clear that it is not breaking the law using Flock right now."

State Rep. Nicolle Grasse, D-Arlington Heights, introduced legislation earlier in 2026 to require municipalities to have safeguards around automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology. That bill was in the rules committee as of Sept. 23, 2026, with no clear timeline for a full vote.

The ABC7 I-Team identified 14 cases across the Chicago area of officers accused of misusing Flock cameras. At least five have been referred to prosecutors.

Will County court records show Dowhen sought and received a stalking no-contact order against Maldonado. The order was later dropped after both men agreed to a two-year no-contact, no-stalking order, the I-Team reported.