Full Breakdown
Indianapolis Police Officers Charged Over Misuse of Flock License-Plate Cameras
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Charges Filed Against Five IMPD Officers
In September 2026, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced felony and misdemeanor charges against five current or former Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers for alleged abuse of the department’s Flock automated license-plate reader (ALPR) system. Charges include official misconduct and fraud; Jonathan Schultz, an 18-year veteran, also faces two stalking counts for using the technology to track women he did not know. All five officers have been suspended, with four recommended for termination and one officer having resigned.
Background & Context: Flock ALPR Technology and Internal Audits
Flock cameras capture license-plate data and allow officers to query it for investigations. An internal IMPD audit, prompted by a colleague’s disclosure of improper use in August, uncovered irregular searches and led to the criminal case. The department has halted access for the accused officers and is drafting new standard-operating procedures to tighten oversight.
Data & Statistics: Search Volumes and Alleged Targets
- Jonathan Schultz: nearly 1,400 inappropriate searches (2023-2026), including 300 for a woman he later dated and 22 for his ex-wife’s plate surrounding their February 2026 divorce.
- Michael Rogers: more than 4,400 searches of his wife’s vehicle, a suspected paramour and a friend (Dec 2024-Aug 2026).
- Matthew Binford: over 1,000 searches of his ex-wife’s plate (Apr 2024-Apr 2025).
- Cassandra Crawley: roughly 1,250 searches for eight plates (Dec 2024-Jul 2026).
- Abigail Cramer: about 477 searches of plates linked to her wife’s former spouse and family (Jul-Dec 2025).
These counts are drawn from court filings and correspond to official-misconduct charges.
Official Statements & Responses
Mears warned the cases are “definitely just the beginning,” emphasizing the need for stronger oversight of ALPR use. Mayor Joe Hogsett stressed that technology must be employed solely for public safety, while Police Fraternal Order President Rick Snyder called the alleged misconduct a breach of community trust. A spokesperson for Flock said misuse of any law-enforcement tool is unacceptable and that the company is investing in safeguards to detect and prevent abuse.
On-the-Ground Reports: Victim Accounts
Multiple women reported feeling unsafe after Schultz allegedly used Flock data to engineer “chance” encounters at gyms, a Walmart, and a school function. One victim said Schultz introduced himself as an FBI agent and left a note on her windshield on July 3. Another woman’s ex-wife testified that Schultz searched her plate 22 times before, during and after their February 2026 divorce.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The number of searches attributed to Schultz varies across filings: some sources cite “nearly 1,400” total searches, while others reference a specific count of 300 tied to a single individual. Court documents do not clarify whether gym staff forwarded a photographed license plate to law enforcement in one incident. The precise timeline of when the department’s new ALPR policy took effect relative to the alleged misuse remains unspecified.
What’s Next
IMPD has drafted a revised ALPR policy that requires every search to be linked to a case number and an offense code, limits data retention to 30 days, and bans personal, immigration-related, protest-related, and reproductive-health-related queries. The department plans to present the policy to the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee for public comment before final adoption. Prosecutor Mears indicated that additional investigations are ongoing.
