Indianapolis police officers charged in license plate reader misuse

Five current and former Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers have been charged with fraud and official misconduct following an internal audit that uncovered the misuse of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology. The audit revealed that officers used the Flock Safety camera system to conduct thousands of unauthorized searches for personal reasons.

Specific allegations include officers tracking ex-spouses, relatives of former partners, and individuals they once dated. One veteran officer, Jonathan Schultz, faces 26 counts, including stalking, after allegedly conducting approximately 1,396 unauthorized searches to track women, including those he did not know, in an attempt to stage encounters.

IMPD Chief Tanya Terry defended the utility of the technology, stating it has been used to save lives, but acknowledged that the department’s oversight policies required strengthening. In response, the IMPD has updated its policies to require officers to link every Flock data search to a specific case number. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears indicated that the current charges may only be the beginning of the investigation.