As senators call for tighter rules around Flock’s surveillance network, an Indianapolis police officer is facing 26 criminal charges relating to misuse of the technology. Jonathan Schultz is facing 12 counts of official misconduct, 12 counts of fraud and two counts of stalking after it was found that he used Flock cameras to track the license plates of seven women and four men—most of whom he did not know. While prosecutors allege 1,396 searches lacked a legitimate law-enforcement purpose, the charging documents contain 26 criminal counts tied to specific alleged incidents.
Schultz was taken into custody after a Marion County judge found probable cause and issued an arrest warrant, according to court records. An initial hearing has been scheduled, though no attorney had appeared on his behalf in the court file as of Thursday. Prosecutors say that Schultz began stalking a woman in September 2023 after meeting her at a workout class at Center Grove High School.
Schultz began to search her license plate in Flock just nine days later. The woman told police she believed that Schultz had a weird obsession with her based on comments he made after workouts. The affidavit also alleges Schultz used Flock data to monitor his ex-wife and another woman he met in a parking lot where he told her he was an FBI agent conducting surveillance.
Newsweek reached out to prosecutors, Flock Safety and IMPD via email for comment. Schultz is one of five police officers suspended by the department in the last six weeks over improper use of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology. They included Jonathan Schultz, who was suspended on charges of fraud, stalking and official misconduct, and Michael Rogers, Cassandra Crawley, Matthew Binford and Abigail Cramer, who were each suspended for fraud and official misconduct.
In a statement released on September 23, Chief Tanya Terry had placed all five officers on administrative duty with no police powers and revoked their access to ALPR systems. One officer subsequently resigned, but the administrative and criminal investigations into that officer’s ALPR use continued. As additional facts emerged in each investigation, Chief Terry suspended the four remaining officers and recommended their termination to the Merit Board.
These individuals’ actions went far beyond a clerical error or a violation of department policy. These actions crossed into criminal conduct and shook the foundation of trust that our agency is built upon,” said Chief Terry in a statement shared with Newsweek. Terry added that she refused to let the “actions of a few” define the work of the department and officers.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
