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October 17, 2026 · Indianapolis, IN · Policy

Indianapolis councilors draft surveillance-oversight rules after five IMPD officers were charged over Flock searches

Indianapolis City-County Council members are drafting a Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology (TRUST) ordinance after five current and former Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were charged with misusing Flock license plate cameras, WTHR and Network Indiana reported. Councilor Jesse Brown's draft would require council approval before city departments or IMPD acquire, fund or deploy surveillance tools such as license plate readers, facial recognition, drones and gunshot detection, and before they change how a tool is used or sign data-sharing agreements. Agencies would have to publish a privacy impact assessment and a use policy before a council vote, searches would be logged under role-based access controls, and a nine-member resident board would review proposals and hold public hearings (WTHR). Network Indiana, citing FOX59, reported that Brown and Council Vice President John Barth are drafting the ordinance, that it would limit data storage to 30 days, and that they hope to pass it before the end of the year. Councilor Michael-Paul Hart told WTHR he supports more oversight but opposes an outright ban. WTHR reported Oct. 16 that legislation could be introduced at the council's Oct. 19 meeting, but the preliminary Oct. 19 agenda posted by council staff does not list it, and we have not seen a filed proposal. The charges, announced Sept. 23 by Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, accuse the officers of thousands of improper searches, mostly of ex-partners and other people they knew. All five face fraud and official-misconduct counts and one also faces stalking counts; they are charged, not convicted. IMPD took the officers off police duty and revoked their access; one resigned and Chief Tanya Terry recommended firing the other four. IMPD now requires a case or incident number and a crime type for every search, and Terry said the department, which leases about 301 Flock cameras, has no plans to reduce that number (WFYI, Axios).

Local file: indianapolis, IN

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