The wife of a fired Georgia police detective says he used police license plate cameras to find her during potentially life-threatening diabetic emergencies, arguing that he was trying to protect her rather than misuse surveillance technology.
Randy Dula, a former detective with the Milton Police Department, was terminated on 7 August 2026, according to state records cited by WSB-TV.
His attorney, Mitch Skandalakis, says Dula used the department's Flock camera system seven times over two years to locate his wife, Mariam, when their usual tracking methods failed. The records do not specify the reason for his termination.
Mariam said she believes her husband was unfairly punished for trying to protect her.
'I wholeheartedly feel like this was all my fault. Had he just let me die, he wouldn't be in this position,' she told WSB-TV.
Wife Defends Searches During Medical Emergencies
Mariam suffers from severe diabetes, which her husband's attorney said had been exacerbated by medication shortages. During some episodes, she became disoriented and could not use her phone to call for help.
According to Skandalakis, the couple tried using the Life360 tracking app, but it was unreliable. He said Dula turned to Flock only when their usual tracking methods failed and he could not reach his wife.
'Unfortunately technology fails, and the only reason he even resorted to using Flock is because all the measures we put in place didn't work,' Mariam told WSB-TV.
She rejected suggestions that her husband had misused the technology.
'I know there's a big hype going on about that right now. I know that's the headline. But my husband did not misuse Flock,' she said.
'He actually used Flock for its intended purpose – to find a person that's in danger.'
However, the couple's account has not been independently verified. The Roundabout, a local investigative publication, reported on 15 October that it could not verify Skandalakis' account. Dula declined to be interviewed, and the city did not answer the publication's questions by its deadline.
Why Flock Camera Use Is Controversial
Flock systems use automated licence plate readers to capture vehicle information, allowing law enforcement agencies to search records to locate vehicles and investigate crimes.
Georgia law restricts the use of licence plate reader data to law enforcement purposes. Milton police policy also limits the systems to legitimate law enforcement purposes and warns that misuse can result in termination and civil or criminal penalties.
The dispute centres on whether Dula's searches qualified as legitimate law enforcement activity or constituted prohibited personal use. His attorney argues that locating a person experiencing a medical emergency was a legitimate purpose.
Detective Appeals Firing
According to WSB-TV, Skandalakis said the disciplinary grounds included neglect of duty, abuse of position and use of departmental equipment. State records confirm Dula's termination date but do not specify the reason. The Milton Police Department has declined to comment on the personnel matter.
Dula is appealing his termination and faces a separate review by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which oversees law enforcement certification.
WSB-TV reported that the Alpharetta Lions Club named him its Outstanding Officer of the Year in April 2026, following his selection as the Milton Police Department's Officer of the Year in 2025.
The outcome of Dula's appeal remains unresolved, as does the question of whether the searches violated department policy.
