A former police detective in Milton, Georgia, who was fired over his use of a license-plate reader system is fighting to get his job and his law-enforcement certification back — and his wife says the searches that cost him his career were attempts to save her life.

Randy Dula, a Milton police detective named the department's Officer of the Year, was fired after an internal investigation into his use of the department's Flock Safety automated license-plate reader system, The Atlanta Focal reported. WSB-TV reported he was terminated on August 7, 2026, and that, according to his attorney, the grounds were neglect of duty, abuse of position and misuse of equipment. City officials told WSB-TV there was more to the story that they expected to release, and declined to comment on an ongoing personnel matter, according to summaries of that reporting.

On Tuesday, October 20, Dula's wife, Mariam Dula, spoke at a news conference alongside attorney Mitch Skandalakis, who advised Randy Dula not to attend, The Atlanta Focal reported on October 20 and in a follow-up on October 21. Skandalakis said Dula searched for his wife's license plate seven times over two years, and only after other location tools, including Life360, did not work during her diabetic emergencies. "This is about a husband who was concerned about his wife," Skandalakis said.

Mariam Dula said she has a serious diabetic condition and that the searches helped her husband find her and save her life. "He used Flock for its intended purpose," she said. "To find a person that's in danger, in a medical condition, and save their life." In the follow-up report she added: "Had he let me die – he wouldn't be in this position." She rejected the claim that her husband misused the system, saying he was trying to locate someone in danger.

The couple and their attorney said they tried to explain the circumstances and medical documentation to Milton's police chief, but felt their account was not adequately considered and, Mariam Dula alleged, was not included in the internal investigation. She said she also contacted city officials without getting a resolution. Skandalakis said he asked the police chief to let Dula resign rather than be fired, arguing that resignation could allow him to retain his law-enforcement license; the request was not granted, he said.

Dula is appealing his termination with help from another attorney, and he has an upcoming hearing to argue that he should retain his certification through Georgia's Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, The Atlanta Focal reported. The reports said a Georgia statute makes it a crime to use Flock data for purposes outside law enforcement, and that Dula could face charges; the October 20 report said he has not been charged. No findings from the appeal or the certification hearing have been reported. The case sits inside a wider Georgia debate over Flock cameras, with other Georgia agencies facing separate plate-reader misuse cases in recent months, according to reporting on those cases. Sources: The Atlanta Focal, October 21, 2026 (Mariam Dula news-conference follow-up: seven searches in two years after other tools failed, "Had he let me die" quote, appeal and POST certification hearing, Georgia statute); The Atlanta Focal, October 20, 2026 (attorney Mitch Skandalakis news conference, Life360 detail, resignation request refused, not charged); WSB-TV reporting, October 15-16, 2026, as summarised by CrossvillePrivacy.org and MaxIntel's documented ALPR misuse index (fired August 7, 2026; 2025 Officer of the Year; grounds cited by attorney; city officials said there was more to the story and declined comment on a personnel matter).