Five Indianapolis police officers now face criminal charges tied to their use of a powerful license-plate tracking system that’s already under national scrutiny. Marion County prosecutors on Wednesday charged officers Michael Rogers, Jonathan Schultz, Cassandra Crawley, and Matthew Binford, as well as former officer Abigail Cramer, with fraud and official misconduct over alleged abuse of Flock Safety cameras, an investigation that the prosecutor acknowledged was sparked in part by questions from the Washington Post. An internal audit after the paper’s reporting found what prosecutor Ryan Mears called more widespread abuse of the city’s 301-camera Flock network, with some searches allegedly targeting officers’ spouses, exes, and women they’d encountered on or off duty.
Schultz, an 18-year veteran, is also charged with stalking, accused of tracking multiple women and repeatedly popping up at places where they were, including gyms and stores. Cramer allegedly ran searches connected to her wife’s ex; Binford is accused of looking up his ex-wife’s plate more than 1,000 times. Cramer has resigned, while the other four are suspended and recommended for firing. ABC News notes that all five officers are facing a combination of felony and misdemeanor charges.
The case lands amid a broader backlash: More than 100 police employees nationwide have been accused of similar misuse, and lawmakers in Florida, Texas, and Congress are already targeting Flock’s fast-growing surveillance network. “This is definitely just the beginning,” Mears said, per FOX59. “You’re going to see Flock cameras in a number of affidavits, and it has had an impact on law enforcement’s ability to solve crime. … I think the question is whether there needs to be some independent oversight.”
Police Chief Tanya Terry calls the findings “deeply disheartening and disappointing.” Flock, for its part, says in a statement: “Misuse of any law enforcement tool is unacceptable, and we will continue investing in safeguards that help agencies detect misuse and hold users accountable.”