Indianapolis City-County Council President Maggie Lewis said Monday night that the council is expected to take up possible guardrails for the city’s Flock license plate camera system after its Oct. 19 budget vote.
Lewis said conversations are already underway, and some people are drafting a proposed ordinance for the council to consider.
“I recognize that there’s a few folks that are actually in the process of creating an ordinance, a proposal for us to entertain,” Lewis said.
Asked why the council would approve the budget before finishing its discussions about the cameras, Lewis said the technology is important to public safety but needs safeguards.
“I think we can do two things at the same time: have the conversation, have the technology, and still find the opportunity and the time to put some guardrails around those cameras,” she said.
Lewis cited a recent homicide investigation, saying the cameras were used Sunday to help identify the person who killed a 9-year-old child. She did not provide additional details.
Her comments come less than two weeks after Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears charged five IMPD officers accused of using Flock cameras to track romantic partners, spouses and women they met in public. Mears said the charges were only the start of Flock-related cases.
Jonathan Schultz, an 18-year IMPD veteran, faces 26 counts of stalking, fraud and official misconduct. Prosecutors allege he searched more than 1,000 plates and used the data to track women and arrange encounters with them. Michael Rogers, a 16-year veteran, faces three counts each of fraud and official misconduct.
IMPD said internal audits in August and September found irregular use of the license plate readers. Earlier in September, IMPD suspended an officer without pay after Chief Tanya Terry said he accessed the system hundreds of times without a legitimate law enforcement purpose. Terry recommended he be fired.
Elsewhere in Indiana, a former Jackson County sheriff’s deputy, Skylar Thompson, was charged with a felony after allegedly running more than 2,000 searches on his girlfriend’s license plate.
Police have also pointed to cases in which the cameras helped. After an Aug. 10 armed robbery at King Jewelers on South Emerson Avenue, in which more than $2 million in jewelry, precious metals and cash was taken, Indiana State Police used license plate readers to find the getaway car near Lebanon. A pursuit ended in Clinton County, five people were taken into custody, and the stolen property was returned.
Flock says its cameras also helped state police identify the vehicle and occupants in an April 25 shooting on Interstate 465. Two men were arrested three days later. Terry has said Flock has helped IMPD solve violent crimes, recover stolen vehicles and find missing or endangered children.
In response to the misuse, IMPD now requires every Flock search to be tied to a case or dispatch number, which Terry said had previously been optional. The department is working to make the rule a general order. Terry said IMPD has talked with lawmakers about legislation on proper use during the upcoming General Assembly session.
The council’s Public Safety Committee has conducted an in-depth review of the cameras and will continue its discussions, Lewis said. Asked what restrictions she would support, she said she was waiting for the committee’s recommendations.
Lewis said she believes the council can address concerns about misuse with safeguards while keeping the cameras in use.
“There’s always going to be bad apples in anything that we do,” she said. “Again, I think we can address the issue, put some guardrails around those Flock cameras, and continue to move forward.”
Lewis encouraged residents to attend the committee’s public meetings or email their council member.
On the budget, Lewis said the council has been negotiating with the administration for several months and expects amendments before the Oct. 19 vote. Council members will also consider feedback from residents who spoke Monday night, she said.
Lewis also said the council has limited authority over the Indianapolis Airport Authority and cannot direct changes to its relationship with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, though it can express concerns.
Asked about a separate moratorium, Lewis said there was no new information. An advisory committee is expected to begin meeting next month.
