Father felt a cop secretly following him 78 times, so he changed where his kids slept. Then he discovered the woman at the center of it all
Court records say Eder had expressed romantic interest in a fellow officer who had previously dated the man
People expect law enforcement officers to use their authority to protect civilians, but former Amarillo Police Department (APD) officer Christian Eder did the complete opposite. He used his access to the police database and surveillance to track a man 78 times from February to June 2026, KSNB Local 4 reported. The man felt his family was not safe, to the point where he had to change where his children slept. Eder went to great lengths to stalk his victim, all because of a female officer, KFDA NewsChannel10 revealed. The video was shared on September 9, 2026, and it had over 59,000 views, 990 likes, and 370 comments.
Flock cameras and TLOxp
The victim chose to remain anonymous. He told the news channel he didn't even know who Eder was initially. The alleged motive was personal: court records say Eder had expressed romantic interest in a fellow officer who had previously dated the man. Apparently, Eder used police databases to monitor a man 78 times between February and June 2026 — 76 searches through Flock cameras and 2 through TLOxp. The man told the outlet, "I’m a creature of habit. I pick my kids up from the same school, the same daycare. It hit me: this guy knows exactly which way I go."
Kids' sleeping positions compromised
He also revealed when he realized his safety was compromised. He left his house late at night to go to the gym and noticed Eder's patrol unit driving through the parking lot behind his car slowly. Later, the female officer told the man that Eder mentioned he saw him leaving his apartment at the exact same time. Unaware of the extent of Eder's stalking, he confronted the officer through a text message and asked him to stop what he was doing. Eder coolly replied, "Lol, tough guy. Whatever y’all got going on is between y’all. Keep it that way. Have fun, my dude." Had he known, he would've gone to internal affairs directly. Furthermore, Eder was a SWAT alternate with tactical training, which heightened the man's concerns. The man revealed, "I’ve had to change where my kids sleep in my house. I’ve had to change everything. It is emotionally taxing. And it has dipped into every facet of my life."
Officer fired and charged
In 2016, an Associated Press investigation found that officers and law enforcement employees misused databases. Between 2013 and 2015, 325 instances involved law enforcement officers and employees who were suspended, fired, or resigned. The APD fired Eder on July 17, and he turned himself in at the Potter County Jail. However, he was released on a single $4,500 bond for all the charges. When the man tried to get more details about Eder's private vehicles for his own safety, the APD refused to help. On another note, Americans were not too thrilled by automated license plate readers. In this case, Flock cameras. A 2026 YouGov survey found that 46% of the respondents opposed law enforcement using such tools in their community, while 38% supported it.
Down with mass surveillance
Netizens were extremely unimpressed by how Eder used the Flock cameras. Many voiced their opinions on taking them down. @mrs.becomes1234 commented, "This is no longer an officer but a criminal watching citizens. It's called stalking. This is what happens when you turn a blind eye to justice. Needs to be locked up and charged like the rest." @Dreamweaver1980 added, "Crazy stalker! No wonder they won't release Flock records! Must be way worse than what we thought." Following Eder’s termination and arrest, Amarillo police also announced changes to their Flock-camera and database policies, with Chief Thomas Hover presenting the updated safeguards to the City Council on September 8.
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