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License-plate readers · St. Joseph County

St. Joseph County

Using license-plate readers · 2 agencies documented

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Mishawaka Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Camera count not stated.
  1. Oct. 20, 2026 The city issued a statement on its Flock program: every search must have a documented investigative purpose, the department audits system activity, and multi-factor sign-in has been required since the second quarter of 2025. (WNDU, Oct. 20, 2026)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

South Bend Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
45
45 Flock cameras near major roads (ABC57, Aug. 2025; The Journal Gazette, Aug. 2026). First installed August 2021.
  1. Aug. 2021 South Bend police first installed Flock cameras. (ABC57 (WBND), Aug. 11, 2025)
  2. Aug. 2026 The Journal Gazette reported South Bend had 45 Flock cameras, keeps data 30 days, and logged 176 Flock-assisted investigations in 2025. (The Journal Gazette, Aug. 7, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Retention 30 days; access limited to investigators and on-shift lieutenants and captains; officers audited about once a year (ABC57).
  • Other agencies on the Flock network can search South Bend's data (ABC57).
  • Flock assisted 151 cases in 2024 (ABC57) and 176 investigations in 2025 (The Journal Gazette).
  • Camera count also in The Journal Gazette, Aug. 7, 2026.
  • Aug. 2026 entry is the date of The Journal Gazette's report (Aug. 7, 2026), not an event date.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. 2015 Then-Sen. Jim Smith (R-Clarksville) filed a bill to set statewide plate-reader rules, including purging data after 30 days absent a warrant or ongoing investigation. Prosecutors and the state police chiefs' association opposed it, and it died in committee without a vote. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Jan. 2023)
  2. Feb. 2026 Gov. Mike Braun signed House Enrolled Act 1150 in February 2026. Section 3 of the act creates IC 32-25.5-3.8, effective July 1, 2026. Under it, a homeowners association may not install, maintain or operate an automated license plate reader. It may allow one on its property only if a law enforcement agency installs it or has it installed, only law enforcement can reach the images and data, and the association cannot see them. The law does not regulate how police use the readers. (Indiana General Assembly (mirrored by billtexts), 2026; The Indiana Citizen, Aug. 13, 2026; Indiana Capital Chronicle, Aug. 24, 2026)
  3. Aug. 2026 The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that the HOA law is the state's only plate-reader restriction. Rep. Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie) said he was drafting a bill for the session that convenes in January setting minimum standards for police use, likely including agency audits of searches, yearly Indiana State Police audits, retention limits and rules on sharing with outside agencies. Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis) said he wants a broad review of plate-reader use. Gov. Braun's press secretary said "Guardrails are important and should be considered anytime personal information is involved." (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Aug. 24, 2026; Mirror Indy, Aug. 26, 2026)
  4. Aug. 2026 Indiana State Police applied for a U.S. Justice Department grant (FY2026 program for agencies in ICE's 287(g) program) listing $29,069,985 in its report to the State Budget Committee ($30,269,985 in a revised budget). The planned purchases include 20 license-plate reader camera systems for $300,000. The committee did not review the request in advance; at an August meeting Rep. Ed DeLaney's motion to put it on the review agenda failed along party lines. The application was pending as of Sept. 8, 2026. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Sept. 9, 2026; Mirror Indy, Sept. 9, 2026)
  5. Aug. 10, 2026 Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said in his online video series that he does not want government in "the business of mass surveillance" and has been talking with lawmakers about limits on police use of plate-reader tools; he did not back specific proposals or call for ending the technology. (The Indiana Citizen, Aug. 13, 2026)

State agencies

Indiana State Police

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Motorola Solutions
Cameras
Count not documented
In early 2023 ISP had 47 fixed cameras, mostly in or near Indianapolis, and had stopped using vehicle-mounted cameras. No current count found.
Contract
Motorola Solutions: term · In early 2023 the Indiana Department of Administration said the Vigilant Solutions (Motorola Solutions) system had cost more than $250,000 since the prior August. No contract document found. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Jan. 2023)
  1. Jan. 2023 ISP said it had used plate readers for more than a decade, scanning about one million plates a month; its 2015 operating procedure keeps image data 30 days, requires reasonable suspicion for a query, and allows sharing with agencies that also show reasonable suspicion. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Jan. 2023)
  2. Aug. 2026 ISP said troopers must enter a dispatch or case number for every search and that district investigative commanders audit records at their discretion. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Aug. 24, 2026)
  3. Sept. 2026 ISP's federal grant application said plate-reader data is generally purged after 30 days unless kept in an investigative file, and that the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center may share information with authorized personnel and must keep an audit trail. The application seeks 20 more plate-reader systems ($300,000); it was pending as of Sept. 8, 2026. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Sept. 9, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vendor is from 2023 reporting; no newer vendor or contract record found. Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center (run by ISP) is covered here rather than as a separate agency.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Indiana Department of Correction

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count. Reported as using plate-reader data; not known whether it owns cameras.
  1. Aug. 2026 IDOC uses plate-reader data to find escapees and parolees who violate supervision terms, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Aug. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No contract or vendor found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Indiana Department of Transportation

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
No count. Reported as accessing plate data; not known whether it owns cameras.
  1. Aug. 2026 According to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, INDOT uses plate-reader data to keep watch on toll operations, work zones and safety zones. (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Aug. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No INDOT right-of-way permit policy for plate-reader cameras was found. An undated Greenfield Daily Reporter story on McCordsville said Flock handles permitting with INDOT for cameras it installs (in261029-a-dailyreporter-mccordsville).

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.