Fort Wayne council delays $120,250 Flock license‑plate reader renewal after privacy, oversight concerns

A motion to approve a one‑year, $120,250 maintenance and lease arrangement with Flock Group Incorporated for the Fort Wayne Police Department’s license‑plate‑reader (LPR) network was put on hold by the full council after extended council questioning about data handling and oversight.

Detective John Greenlee, the department’s Flock administrator, told the council the still images captured by the LPR cameras are “Fort Wayne PD’s data” and said the department mirrors body‑cam retention rules — holding its LPR images for 180 days — even though Flock’s standard retention is 30 days. He described case examples he said were solved with the system, including homicide and abduction investigations, and said interagency sharing and a persistent audit log support investigative work.

The proposal (S260510) was introduced in the Finance Committee, where Chief Smith and Detective Greenlee responded to sustained questions on whether Flock or other agencies could access or retain Fort Wayne images. Council members pressed on several points: whether the vendor could sell images or data to third parties, how agencies outside Allen County obtain access, how audit logs are maintained and reviewed, and whether officers can bypass required control numbers. Detective Greenlee said he had not seen evidence of Flock “selling” data and that access controls and audit logs exist; he acknowledged that, as with any system, misuse is possible and must be disciplined when discovered.

In committee a roll call produced four votes in favor and five opposed, leaving the measure with no committee recommendation. During the regular session Councilman Yale moved to hold the item so staff, the department and civil‑liberties stakeholders could negotiate further safeguards; the motion passed unanimously to hold S260510 until July 14.

Proponents said the system helps solve serious crimes quickly; opponents and some residents cited privacy and civil‑liberties risks and asked for clearer, binding safeguards on data sharing and vendor behavior. Detective Greenlee said the department publishes a transparency portal showing who Fort Wayne shares data with and that internal affairs will audit use; council members requested more detail and, in some cases, written assurances or contract language specifying retention, auditing cadence and limits on external access.

Next steps: the council agreed to hold the item for further review and return it to the body on July 14 for additional consideration. The prior committee result (no recommendation) will remain in the record until a new vote is taken.