Bloomington, Indiana council votes 7–0 to ban license plate readers, with disputed investigative exception

Event: October 14, 2026 · First reported: October 15, 2026 · 9 sources

Bloomington's city council voted 7–0 on Oct. 14 to prohibit city agencies from acquiring, operating or accessing automated license plate readers, as well as certain surveillance cameras that allow outside entities to access recordings and data. The ban also bars city agencies from requesting or obtaining ALPR data gathered by other agencies or private companies. A contested fifth amendment, which created an exception for surveillance recordings tied to a numbered criminal investigation and explicitly permitted police body cameras, passed 5–2 over objections from two of the ordinance's three sponsors. At least 29 members of the public spoke during roughly three hours of deliberation.

Why this matters

Bloomington's ordinance goes beyond canceling a vendor contract by restricting access to ALPR data collected elsewhere, a scope question other city councils are likely to face. The split over the criminal-investigation exception illustrates how narrowly drafted carve-outs can shape how much a surveillance ban actually constrains.

Key facts

The council voted 7–0 to adopt the ordinance; councilmembers Matt Flaherty and Kate Rosenbarger were absent.
Amendment 5, allowing access to recordings tied to an assigned criminal case number and permitting body-worn cameras, passed 5–2, with Isak Asare and Sydney Zulich opposed.
Mayor Kerry Thomson announced on April 15 that the city had not renewed its Flock ALPR contract when it expired March 5; Monroe County commissioners voted July 23 to end the county's Flock contract and remove six readers.
An Oct. 7 memo from the Thomson administration urged narrower legislation, warning the ban on outside ALPR data could hinder investigations into crimes such as kidnapping and murder; the council did not adopt that approach.
The administration's memo said four fixed Flock security cameras remain in use plus four unused security trailers, and disputed the ordinance's characterization of them as connected to Flock's nationwide network.

Timeline

October 15, 2026Bloomington council votes 7–0 to ban license plate readers, after debate over some exceptions
October 16, 2026Bloomington bans license plate readers, restricts police access

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Bloomington council votes 7–0 to ban license plate readers, after debate over some exceptions (The B Square Bulletin, October 15, 2026)
Bloomington council votes to ban ALPRs and some surveillance cameras (The Bloomingtonian, October 15, 2026)
Tempe City Council bans automatic license plate readers — with some exceptions (KJZZ, October 16, 2026)
Bloomington bans license plate readers, restricts police access (The Herald-Times, October 16, 2026)
Bloomington City Council bans Flock, all automated license plate reader technology (Indiana Daily Student, October 14, 2026)
Bloomington City Council nixes automated license plate readers (Indiana Public Media, October 15, 2026)
Tempe City Council votes to ban license plate readers (FOX 10 Phoenix, October 16, 2026)
Tempe City Council votes to ban license plate readers (FOX 10 Phoenix, October 16, 2026)
Tempe City Council votes to ban license plate readers (FOX 10 Phoenix, October 16, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated October 22, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.