New General Order for ALPR cameras to be presented next month after no vote

Our Take

FOX59's report on IMPD's stalled General Order is a case study in how ALPR oversight gets slow-walked. A policy meant to carve license plate readers out from a broader, murkier surveillance rulebook got pulled from the agenda with no vote and no real explanation beyond "next month." That delay isn't a technicality — it's another month where Flock cameras keep scanning every plate that passes, running on old rules while the public waits for the update that's supposed to add accountability.

Departments love to bundle ALPR policy into generic "technology" or "investigative tools" orders because it buries the specifics: retention windows, who can query the data, whether it's shared with ICE or out-of-state agencies, and what happens when there's no audit trail. A standalone general order, done right, forces those details into the open. A standalone order that keeps getting pushed back does the opposite — it lets the current, less specific policy quietly stay in effect indefinitely.

Credit to FOX59 for actually tracking the paperwork instead of letting this slide. If you're in Indianapolis or anywhere IMPD-adjacent, this is exactly the kind of vote worth showing up for. Check our map to see how many Flock readers are already logging your plate, and hit take action for ways to push your city council on retention limits and audit requirements before the next "next month" comes and goes.