INDIANAPOLIS — One former officer and four current officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department have been charged with misusing the Flock camera system.

On Wednesday, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the five have been charged with fraud and official misconduct. One has also been charged with stalking.

The officers charged with misusing the automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology have been identified as Matthew Binford, Abigail Cramer, Cassandra Crawley, and Michael Rogers. One person has not been named, but is an 18-year officer.

Four of the officers have been suspended with a recommendation from IMPD Chief Tanya Terry that they be terminated. Cramer has resigned.

“These individuals’ actions went far beyond a clerical error or a violation of department policy,” Chief Terry said on Wednesday. “These actions crossed into criminal conduct and shook the foundation of trust that our agency is built upon.”

In September, IMPD investigators presented their findings in each of the five cases to the prosecutor’s office for review. The alleged misuse occurred prior to the implementation of IMPD’s new ALPR policy in August, in which every ALPR user was required to sign the policy to keep access. Those who did not had their access shut off.

All searches must now be tied to a case or incident number as well as a National Incident-Based Reporting System offense code. IMPD has also adopted single sign-on for ALPR technology and has implemented stronger auditing to more quickly identify and investigate potential misuse and ensure every search is for a legitimate law enforcement purpose.

Chief Terry called this news “deeply disheartening and disappointing” for IMPD, but said the department will continue serving with courage and compassion.

“I refuse to let the actions of a few define the work of this department and the hundreds of officers who show up every day with one mission: to protect our community,” Chief Terry added. “They put others before themselves. They run towards danger as others run away. They wear this badge with pride and serve with integrity and respect. They do the right thing.”

IMPD is only sharing ALPR data with law enforcement agencies within Indiana. Access is no longer provided to agencies outside the state.

IMPD is currently converting the ALPR SOP to a General Order, which will be presented to the General Orders Board for feedback before a final version is issued. Once finalized, the General Order will be available to the public.

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