Just days after Michigan City police went before the city council to discuss adding Flock License Plate Readers to high-traffic areas in the city, the police department announced an officer had resigned after misusing data from the cameras.
This is the third case to surface in the area in just over a week alleging an officer misused data collected by the cameras, which are subject to growing privacy concerns as law enforcement stands by their use as a valuable tool in solving crimes when used appropriately.
The Porter County Sheriff’s Department and the Chesterton Police Department also are grappling with similar cases. The Porter County deputy was placed on unpaid leave, among other disciplinary measures, and a special prosecutor has now taken over, after Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann initially said the deputy would not be charged with a crime.
In Chesterton, the officer resigned
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and the matter has been turned over to Indiana State Police and a special prosecutor for investigation.In Michigan City, according to a Friday release, the police department identified a violation of department policy involving an officer’s use of the Flock system during a routine audit of system activity.
The department, according to the release, “discovered searches conducted by an officer that raised concerns regarding their legitimacy. The department immediately initiated an internal investigation and placed the officer on administrative leave.”
The officer, who wasn’t identified, resigned from the department while the investigation was underway, according to the release. An administrative review determined the officer’s use of the system violated department policy. Once the investigation is complete, the matter will be forwarded to the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office for review, according to the release.
“Public trust requires transparency and accountability, particularly when the City uses technology that gives law enforcement access to sensitive information,” Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch said in the release. “Our residents have every right to expect that these tools will be used lawfully, ethically and only for legitimate public-safety purposes. When that trust is violated, we have a responsibility to identify it, address it and be transparent with the public about what occurred.”
Assistant Police Chief Kyle Shiparski presented the Michigan City Common Council with the department’s plan for Flock cameras at a Tuesday meeting. An ordinance regarding the Flock camera plans was tabled by the council finance committee to be discussed at a later date.
The Michigan City Police Department has an existing Flock plate reader, Shiparski said at the meeting, but they’re planning to reduce it along with its Raven gunshot detection system, which helps rapidly notify officers of gunshots.
However, they plan to add seven Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras, a Drone as First Responder, one mobile Flock Safety Trailer and five Community Partnership Cameras. The PTZ cameras will be limited to areas including the Franklin Street corridor, South Shore train station area and Washington Park.
The police department uses Flock as a law-enforcement tool to assist in criminal investigations and other legitimate public-safety efforts, according to the release. Access to the system is governed by department policy, and system activity is subject to auditing and review.
“Misuse of law-enforcement technology will not be tolerated,” Police Chief Steven Forker said in the release. “Our officers are entrusted with access to sensitive systems, and we expect that access to be used appropriately and only for legitimate law-enforcement purposes. In this instance, our auditing process identified a concern, and we acted immediately.”
Reporter Maya Wilkins and freelancer Jim Woods contributed; [email protected]