Documented Incident
Porter County, Indiana deputy demoted and suspended after internal probe finds improper Flock search
Event: August 19, 2026 · First reported: August 28, 2026 · 4 sources
A Porter County Sheriff's Office officer was demoted, suspended without pay and barred from using the agency's Flock license plate reader system after an internal investigation determined he ran a search for a reason not allowed under department policy, according to a written statement from Sheriff Jeff Balon. The probe began after a resident complained that his plate had been queried in the Flock system. The resident, who spoke to The Times anonymously, said in a complaint filed with the sheriff's office that the officer involved was Lt. Michael Piazza, and told the paper he believes the search stemmed from a personal dispute involving an alleged affair. Piazza could not be reached for comment, and the sheriff's office statement did not name the officer or expressly tie the discipline to the complaint.
The case shows how ALPR search logs can be checked by the public — here through a third-party lookup site — and raises questions about whether agencies release audit records and written findings when misuse is alleged.
Key facts
- Sheriff Jeff Balon said an internal investigation confirmed an officer entered the plate number and that the stated reason for the search violated sheriff's office policy; the officer was demoted, suspended without pay and barred from using Flock.
- The complainant identified the officer as Lt. Michael Piazza in his complaint; that identification comes from the resident, not the sheriff's office, and Piazza could not be reached for comment.
- The resident said he found the search records Aug. 19 through HaveIBeenFlocked.com, and that the 2025 query spanned a one-month window across 81,331 devices in 6,315 networks.
- The resident said he was told Aug. 20 that an internal affairs investigation had opened, and five days later that it found the officer had searched records on his vehicle; he said the agency had not provided audit logs or written findings as of Thursday.
- Balon said policy was strengthened to require a case number and reason for every Flock search, and that the agency is using Flock's AI-based audit tool to flag potentially suspicious searches.
Timeline
- August 28, 2026Porter County cop suspended for abusing Flock camera data; man claims it's tied to affair
- August 28, 2026Porter County officer suspended without pay after misusing Flock license plate readers
- August 28, 2026Porter County Sheriff's Lieutenant Demoted After Tracking Mistress With Flock Cameras
- August 28, 2026Porter County Sheriff’s Police officer disciplined for departmental Flock LPR policy violation
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Porter County cop suspended for abusing Flock camera data; man claims it's tied to affair (nwitimes.com, August 28, 2026)
- Porter County officer suspended without pay after misusing Flock license plate readers (Chicago Tribune, August 28, 2026)
- Porter County Sheriff's Lieutenant Demoted After Tracking Mistress With Flock Cameras (Hoodline, August 28, 2026)
- Porter County Sheriff’s Police officer disciplined for departmental Flock LPR policy violation (wimsradio.com, August 28, 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 August 30, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.