Indy council president says Flock controversy won't derail budget
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Allie Carl/Axios. Photo: Rick Maiman/Getty Images
The City-County Council will consider new regulations for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's use of Flock cameras, but not until after it passes a new city budget later this month.
Why it matters: Charges of fraud and misconduct against five IMPD officers accused of misusing the automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras technology came in the middle of the city's annual budget-writing process, raising questions about how the department is using taxpayer dollars.
Driving the news: Multiple Indianapolis residents used Monday night's public hearing on the proposed city budget to call for an end to IMPD's ALPR program, asking the council to hold back department funds used for the cameras.
- Council President Maggie Lewis said after the meeting that an ALPR ordinance is being drafted, but it won't be considered by the council until "sometime after" its next meeting, when the budget is expected to be passed.
- "I think the technology is important," she said. "I think it's also important that we take some time to put some guardrails around them."
Catch up quick: The city signed a four-year contract with Flock in 2025, not to exceed $6 million. As of a month ago, volunteers with the public Finding Flock database had documented 649 automated license plate readers in Marion County.
- Doran Moreland, the chief of staff and chief policy officer for the council, told FOX59 it "will be looking at the cameras from a policy standpoint, trying to figure out with law enforcement what the guardrails might look like, what makes sense."
- IMPD chief Tanya Terry told the council last month that the department had already changed its policies to put more protections in place.
What's next: The council will vote on the city's $1.9 billion city budget on Oct. 19. It's expected to pass.
- Lewis said the ALPR ordinance will go through the council's public safety committee, but details of the proposal and a date for its consideration have not been shared.