Documented Incident
Former Indiana deputy charged after 2,055 Flock plate searches on then-girlfriend, prosecutors say
Event: August 31, 2026 · First reported: September 4, 2026 · 11 sources
Jackson County, Indiana prosecutors say former sheriff's deputy Skylar Thompson, 32, of Brownstown, ran 2,055 Flock license plate searches on his then-girlfriend's vehicle between Dec. 31, 2025 and Aug. 2, 2026, logging justifications such as "city planning/traffic analysis." The sheriff's office says it flagged the pattern during an audit of system usage and referred the matter to Indiana State Police; Thompson resigned when confronted and was arrested Aug. 31 on a warrant. He is charged with official misconduct, a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanor fraud. The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
The case turns on whether an agency's own audit process can catch abuse of a searchable, statewide-networked camera system, and on how easily a free-text justification field can be filled in with a plausible-sounding reason. Communities weighing ALPR contracts often rely on those same audit logs and search-reason requirements as their primary safeguard.
Key facts
- Prosecutors allege 2,055 searches of the same license plate between Dec. 31, 2025 and Aug. 2, 2026.
- Searches were reportedly justified with entries such as "city planning/traffic analysis."
- The misuse was identified through a Jackson County Sheriff's Office audit, which referred the case to Indiana State Police.
- Thompson resigned after being confronted and was arrested Aug. 31; charges are one Level 6 felony count of official misconduct and one misdemeanor fraud count.
- The article cites comparable ALPR misuse cases involving officers in Florida, North Carolina and Milwaukee, where an officer pleaded guilty to attempted misconduct in public office.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Cleveland, September 4, 2026)
- Ex - Indiana deputy charged with felony for allegedly using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (wrganews.com, September 2, 2026)
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Staten Island Ny Local News, September 4, 2026)
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Mlive, September 4, 2026)
- Ex-Indiana deputy charged with felony for allegedly using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Fox News, September 1, 2026)
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Syracuse Ny Local News, September 4, 2026)
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Pennlive, September 4, 2026)
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Nj, September 4, 2026)
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Alabama Local News, September 4, 2026)
- Indiana Deputy Charged for Misusing AI License Plate Reader to Stalk Individual (OECD AI Policy Observatory, August 31, 2026)
- Ex-cop charged after using Flock cameras to stalk girlfriend (Oregon Local News, September 4, 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 September 5, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.