Bloomington, Indiana – Bloomington has decided to step away from its contract with Flock license plate reader services after a months-long review that city officials say weighed both public safety needs and civil liberties concerns.
Mayor Kerry Thomson announced that the city’s contract expired on March 5, 2026, and will not be renewed.
The decision, she said, came after an evaluation that had already begun before the Bloomington Common Council passed a resolution the same day calling for additional oversight of the city’s Flock cameras and asking Bloomington Police Department to provide a report on access to the system’s data.
That review moved through several layers. City officials consulted Bloomington Police Department leadership, investigative teams, the city’s legal staff, Flock representatives and community partners.
Courtesy of Flock
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They examined how the system had been used in practice, the legal questions tied to it and specific cases in which the technology played a role.
On April 15, 2026, Police Chief Michael Diekhoff submitted a report on Bloomington’s use of Flock, followed by a memo from Thomson to the Common Council. Both are scheduled to be presented at the council’s April 22 meeting.
As Bloomington moves away from Flock, Thomson has ordered tighter limits during the transition.
Access to Flock data will now be restricted to Bloomington Police Department personnel only, and all outside data sharing will end.
Bloomington’s system includes 11 permanently mounted license plate reader cameras, four permanently mounted video cameras and four mobile trailer systems equipped for plate reading, video recording and gunshot detection.
According to police policy, the system captures images of the rear of a vehicle and its license plate as it travels on a public road. City officials said it does not use facial recognition, does not reveal driver registration details such as names or addresses and does not create profiles based on demographic or personal traits.
Within BPD, access has been limited to sworn officers and data analysts, with users required to complete training, use individual log-ins, tie searches to an active event number and record a valid reason for each search. Search logs are audited every 60 days, and data is kept for 30 days unless it becomes evidence in a criminal case.
The city said documented uses of the system included helping recover a kidnapping victim safely, identifying a suspect in a homicide investigation near the county line and identifying a suspect who later confessed in a roadside sexual assault case.
“We take civil liberties seriously. We take public safety seriously. Those are shared obligations of good government,” said Mayor Kerry Thomson.
“This review made clear that if this tool is used, it must be used under narrow parameters, strong accountability, and clear public safeguards. We are continuing to evaluate whether other options may better serve the community.”
Chief Diekhoff said Bloomington’s next step must be careful and deliberate, with the city evaluating other technologies and providers that may better balance safety, transparency, accountability and public trust.
