Muncie mayor defends use of Flock cameras
As some Indiana cities and counties are cancelling contracts for Flock license plate reader cameras, Muncie’s mayor is making the case for why they are needed. As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, he says all the city wants to do is solve crimes.
Audio Transcript
Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour says he is “very supportive” of the Flock Safety cameras because of positive results in the city, but he did not give examples in a video shared on social media.
As state and national news report on police officers misusing the camera’s collected data – including in Michigan City – Ridenour says Muncie police officers have to go through a special separate training program to use the system.
“We have a lot of standards and procedures put into place to help reduce the opportunities for people to do things that might not be what we want,” he explained.
A city spokesperson added that the Muncie Police Department “does not share Flock data with federal agencies.
Muncie began using 22 Flock cameras in 2022, paid for by an economic development income tax fund the mayor controls.
Recent, the city of Bloomington, Monroe County, Fort Wayne, and Starke County have either decided not to renew contracts with Flock Safety or cancel them early.
Last month, two men were arrested for cutting down a Flock camera in Muncie on Ball State University’s campus. Ball State police say the department used a nearby Flock camera to read the suspect’s license plate.
A mapping site called FlockHopper that tracks Flock and other license-reading cameras shows more than 140,000 camera locations across the country. The map shows more than 2,300 cameras in Indiana.
Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host. Contact her at slwiechmann@bsu.edu.
