Chesterton ends Flock Safety contract after officer misuse

16 September 2026. [AI first draft. Verify every fact against the source before publishing.]

The Chesterton Town Council voted unanimously on September 14 to discontinue the town's contract with Flock Safety, the license plate reader vendor. The decision followed Police Chief Tim Richardson's investigation into reported misuse of the Flock system by a Chesterton Police Department officer during the summer. The officer who misused the system has since resigned from the department.

Richardson deactivated access to Flock for all officers except himself and command staff, who retained access to conduct an internal audit of the department's historical use of the system. The town announced the council vote and the circumstances leading to it through its Facebook page.

This action reflects growing scrutiny of how law enforcement agencies deploy automated license plate reader technology and the safeguards needed to prevent unauthorized access. The investigation and contract termination represent a public record of how one municipality addressed misuse concerns within its police department's use of surveillance infrastructure.

Residents in other towns can check their own police department's contracts with Flock Safety or other ALPR vendors by requesting records from town councils, police departments, or municipal clerks' offices, and by monitoring council agendas and meeting minutes for any votes on surveillance technology procurement or renewal.

Read the original reporting: 95.1 FM/AM 1420 WIMS Radio.