SHIVELY, KY — Police body camera video captured the moment Shively officer Asad Zahir was told last week that he would be suspended and arrested. The footage, obtained by Spectrum News through an open records request, shows Zahir being taken into custody on Aug. 25 after investigators raised questions about his use of the department’s Flock automated license plate database.
Zahir now faces 10 misdemeanor counts tied to alleged misuse of the system. Police records say the searches were connected to a woman he had previously been involved with and who had an emergency protective order against him. The two share a child, according to investigative records.
Investigators say more than 2,000 searches were flagged by a new audit tool
Investigative records say a new artificial intelligence-based audit tool from Flock Safety flagged more than 2,000 searches Zahir made between January and May. Those searches were looking for the woman’s vehicle information, according to the records reviewed by police.
Police records also say 241 of those searches happened while the emergency protective order was active. That detail appears to be central to the case, since the database was being used while a court order was in place. Zahir’s arrest came after the flagged searches were reviewed by investigators.
In the body camera video, Zahir asks why he is facing 10 charges if the flagged activity involved thousands of searches. A Shively officer responds that prosecutors divided the case into monthly counts rather than charging each individual search separately.
Video shows the arrest and transfer to Louisville Metro Corrections
Roughly 14 minutes after the recording begins, Zahir is out of uniform and led to the passenger side of an unmarked cruiser. Officers then handcuff him before he is taken away.
The ride ended at Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, where the booking area was cleared for his arrival, according to the video and the accompanying records. The footage provides a rare look at the internal response to allegations involving a police officer and a law-enforcement database designed to aid investigations.
Shively Police obtained the body camera recording and later made it public through the records request process. The department has not said that the arrest was connected to any violent offense, only to alleged misuse of the Flock system.
Chief Andre Bottoms says earlier audits were not properly documented
Days after Zahir’s arrest, Shively Police changed its internal policy for auditing officer searches in the Flock system. Chief Andre Bottoms said Monday that earlier audits were not documented the way they should have been.
Bottoms said the department fell short of its own expectations and accepted responsibility for that failure. His remarks suggest the case exposed problems not only with one officer’s conduct, but also with the department’s oversight procedures.
The policy update came after the search history was reviewed with the help of the new Flock audit tool. Police have not publicly detailed every step in the internal review, but they have acknowledged that the department’s process needed tightening.
Zahir pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance bond
Zahir was released on a personal recognizance bond while the case moves forward. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 7.
The misdemeanor charges leave the case in the early stages, with the next court date likely to determine how prosecutors proceed. For now, Zahir remains suspended as the criminal case and the department’s internal response continue.
The arrest has also put a spotlight on how local departments handle access to license plate databases, especially when searches involve personal relationships or court orders. Those systems are meant for public-safety work, but investigators say they can be misused if oversight fails.
Kentucky’s new ALPR rules add penalties for law enforcement misuse
The Shively case comes as Kentucky lawmakers have already set statewide rules for law enforcement use of automated license plate reader cameras. Under the new law, officers who violate the rules could face a fine or even up to a year in jail.
That development gives added context to the accusations against Zahir and to the department’s decision to revise its own auditing policy. It also places the case within a broader effort to control how police departments use ALPR technology.
A similar case last year involved a former Louisville Metro police officer who was arrested over alleged stalking of an ex-partner using Flock. That officer resigned days before the arrest, and that case is still ongoing.
While the cases are separate, both have raised questions in Kentucky about internal safeguards, database access and the consequences when officers use investigative tools for personal reasons.
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