A former Amarillo police officer faces 78 misdemeanor charges after investigators say he repeatedly used department surveillance tools to track a local father without a law-enforcement purpose, leaving the man so fearful that he changed where his children slept.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
A former Amarillo, Texas, police officer allegedly used city surveillance technology dozens of times to track a local father for personal reasons, prompting the man to alter his family’s routines and even change where his children slept inside their home.
Christian Eder, 29, was fired from the Amarillo Police Department on July 17 following an internal investigation and now faces 78 counts of tampering with a government record, according to ABC 7 Amarillo.
Investigators found that Eder allegedly searched the man’s license plate 76 times between February and June 2026 using Amarillo’s Flock automated license plate reader network, according to NewsChannel 10.
He is also accused of searching the man’s name twice through TLOxp, a law-enforcement information service that can provide addresses, telephone numbers, vehicle information, business records and other personal data.
Authorities reportedly found no investigations, police calls or assignments that provided a legitimate law-enforcement reason for any of the searches.
Records instead showed that Eder allegedly entered explanations such as “city planning” for some searches, while numerous others were marked simply “want.”
The man at the center of the case has not been publicly identified. He told reporters that he believes Eder’s interest in him stemmed from a female Amarillo police officer whom the man had previously dated and whom Eder later pursued.
The father said he subsequently learned that Eder was also suspected of using a department-issued phone to watch the female officer’s active patrol-car and body-camera feeds.
His concerns became more immediate after he saw Eder’s marked police vehicle moving slowly through his apartment complex parking lot at approximately 1 a.m.
The woman later told him that Eder claimed to have seen him leaving his apartment at precisely that time, according to the man’s account.
He eventually contacted Eder directly and asked him to stop.
Eder allegedly responded with a message beginning, “lol, tough guy.”
The father said he did not understand at the time that police surveillance tools were allegedly being used to track his vehicle. Had he known, he said, he would have immediately reported the matter to Internal Affairs.
Instead, he feared that confronting an armed police officer with access to law-enforcement databases could make the situation more dangerous.
That concern intensified because Eder reportedly had tactical training and served as a SWAT alternate.
“I’ve had to change where my kids sleep in my house,” the father told NewsChannel 10.
He said he also changed his everyday routines after learning the extent of the alleged tracking and asked investigators to provide descriptions of Eder’s privately owned vehicles so he could recognize them if they appeared near his home or family.
That request was reportedly denied.
The disparity troubled the man because Eder allegedly had already been able to obtain sensitive information about him through government systems while he remained unable to obtain even basic identifying information that might help him determine whether the former officer was nearby.
The criminal case ultimately did not produce felony stalking charges.
Instead, prosecutors filed 78 Class A misdemeanor counts of tampering with a government record, corresponding to the alleged Flock and TLOxp searches.
Texas law allows a Class A misdemeanor conviction to carry as much as one year in jail, a fine of up to $4,000, or both.
Court records cited by local media show that Eder turned himself in before being released on bond. The bond represents a condition of pretrial release and is not a criminal fine or punishment.
The investigation has also raised broader questions about how Amarillo police officers were able to access surveillance systems before Eder’s alleged conduct was discovered.
Officers could reportedly use the Flock system through department-issued mobile devices while off duty, while the software did not automatically alert supervisors when individual users performed unusually large numbers of searches.
That meant repeated searches of the same vehicle could potentially continue without immediately triggering an internal review.
Flock cameras automatically capture license plates and associated information such as the time and location at which a vehicle passed a camera. Networks of the devices can allow law enforcement agencies to locate stolen vehicles, identify cars linked to suspects and assist in missing-person investigations.
The same capability also makes misuse particularly sensitive because repeated searches can help reconstruct a person’s movements.
Amarillo Police Chief Thomas Hover said he was “deeply frustrated and disappointed” that Eder allegedly used criminal-justice resources for personal purposes.
The department has since announced changes intended to limit similar abuse, including expanded supervisory oversight, more frequent audits, reduced access to surveillance software and shorter retention periods for collected data.
The case is part of a growing national debate surrounding automated license plate readers. Supporters point to their usefulness in locating stolen vehicles and criminal suspects, while privacy advocates argue that interconnected camera networks can permit detailed tracking of people who are not suspected of crimes.
President Donald Trump has expressed support for Flock technology as a law-enforcement tool while also acknowledging concerns that such systems can intrude on privacy. A recent Reuters/Ipsos survey found the technology remains divisive among Americans, as reports of misuse have increased scrutiny of access controls and oversight.
For the Amarillo father, however, the privacy debate became intensely personal.
He said the alleged surveillance changed how he moved through daily life, how he protected his family and where his children slept — consequences that began before he knew a police database was allegedly being used to follow him.
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