Revere police officer serves suspension after using Flock cameras to track ex

A Revere police officer is back on the job after serving a suspension stemming from an investigation that found he misused the department’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) system and the state’s criminal records database, authorities said.  

The Revere Police Department received a complaint in December 2025 alleging that Officer Michael Tiso had misused the department’s surveillance technology. An internal investigation found Tiso “violated department policies and use protocols” governing ALPR system and state’s database of criminal records, police said in a statement Wednesday. 

Tiso was suspended without pay, but he has since returned to work, police said. 

According to an internal affairs report obtained by The Boston Globe, Tiso accessed the department’s Flock cameras more than a dozen times on four separate occasions to track his ex-girlfriend, Marissa Todisco. 

Flock cameras feed ALPR data into a searchable database used by thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country. Their use by police departments has come under increasing scrutiny in Massachusetts, where residents have raised concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of the technology. 

Tiso denied using Flock to harass or follow Todisco when confronted by investigators, per the Globe. 

Todisco and Tiso met in March 2021 and dated until October 2022. In December, Todisco filed the complaint against the officer for tracking him and her family through Flock, according to the Globe.

Tiso, meanwhile, accused Todisco of harassing him and his fiancé, the Globe reported. 

Court records show Todisco was charged in June with violating an abuse prevention order. The charges were dismissed Thursday. 

“I completely feel there is an invasion of privacy of my family and God knows who else may be involved with me that the officer … has been looking into,” Todisco said while speaking to reporters Thursday at Revere City Hall. “But it’s just truly disheartening to think that Revere is such a great city and can be better, but is allowing such disparaging, disgusting behavior.” 

Yannetti Johnson, one of the law firms representing Todisco, applauded prosecutors’ decision to dismiss the case. 

“From the start, Ms. Todisco has maintained that she was the one who had been tracked and surveilled — not the reverse,” the law firm said in an X post. “The Commonwealth’s decision not to proceed with this prosecution, in our view, reflects that a fair and complete review of the facts here has produced the fair and just result we had been seeking.”

Tiso could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.  

Revere police said the department reported the incident to the Massachusetts POST Commission. 

POST records show Tiso was accused of police misconduct in two separate incidents in 2020. 

In the first, his conduct was classified as “unbecoming” and “neglect of duty,” resulting in a suspension of one to five days. In the other, records say he failed to “respond to an incident according to established procedure,” resulting in another one-to-five-day suspension. 

Revere police add new audits while keeping Flock cameras 

Following the investigation, Revere police said they are adding new audit features to their ALPR system and updating policies governing its use. 

“License plate reader systems provide real-time information that can help protect the public and save lives,” Chief Maria LaVita said. “However, we must ensure that each and every search is connected to a legitimate, lawful purpose and that searches comply with department policy and all applicable laws.”

The department said it has “updated policies and procedures to include one specific to use of ALPR technologies” and improved software to identify and alert unusual or suspicious search activity. 

Revere’s decision to continue using Flock cameras comes as other Massachusetts communities reconsider their relationships with the company. 

Sharon has become the latest Massachusetts town to terminate its agreement with Flock Safety. Town officials announced Thursday that Flock cameras there have been turned off and work has begun to remove them after the Select Board voted against renewing the contract prior to its Sept. 12 expiration. 

In Stow, a police officer resigned after being accused of using Flock and other police databases to track someone he knew. The Stow Police Department subsequently ended its relationship with Flock after police said an investigation revealed the officers’ misuse. 

New Bedford police also paused their use of Flock cameras after an officer accused of stalking her ex-girlfriend was placed on leave.

Revere police defended ALPR technology, saying the department has “seen an overall decrease in crime and increase in the solvability of cases.” 

“This is all due to ongoing diligence by our dedicated officers and the tools they are provided to prevent and solve crimes,” police added.