5 IMPD officers charged over Flock searches
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Five IMPD officers have been accused of using Flock cameras to track romantic partners, spouses and women they met in public.
Why it matters: The charges put even greater scrutiny on how Indianapolis police use and misuse a surveillance system designed to help solve crimes and track vehicles.
Driving the news: Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears called an internal audit resulting in criminal charges "just the beginning" of Flock-related cases in as concerns over the police surveillance technology mount.
Zoom in: During a news conference Wednesday, Mears said the following IMPD officers have been charged.
- Michael Rogers, a 16-year IMPD veteran, faces three counts each of fraud and official misconduct. He's accused of thousands of improper searches.
- Jonathan Schultz, who has been with IMPD for 18 years, faces 26 total counts of stalking, fraud and official misconduct. Prosecutors allege he searched more than 1,000 plates, including using Flock data to track women he met in public and engineer encounters.
- Cassandra Crawley, a seven-year veteran, faces eight counts each of fraud and official misconduct and is accused of hundreds of improper searches.
- Matthew Binford, a four-year veteran, faces once count each of fraud and official misconduct after allegedly using a superior officer's laptop to track his ex-wife.
- Abigail Cramer, a five-year veteran, faces six counts each of fraud and official misconduct and is accused of hundreds of improper searches.
State of play: IMPD suspended all five officers and recommended them for termination. Cramer has since resigned.
- IMPD said internal audits from August and September uncovered "irregular usage" of automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs.
- The department has since updated its policy to require tying every Flock search to a specific case or incident number.
Catch up quick: IMPD rolled out hundreds of Flock cameras over the last several years and signed a four-year contract with the company in 2025.
- The department has said it expects to spend $1 million annually on the technology, but the contract allows for up to $6 million over its duration.