Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., cited an Indiana deputy’s alleged use of Flock Safety cameras to stalk his girlfriend as evidence that automated surveillance systems are inevitably misused, renewing his call to treat such systems as a Fourth Amendment concern. Paul’s post on X linked to New York Post reporting on the case.
Paul: “Not to Mention It’s a 4th Amendment Violation”
“They told us the Flock cameras were for catching criminals. In Indiana, a deputy used them to track his girlfriend 2,055 times,” Paul wrote. “Every database built to watch you eventually gets used by someone with a grudge and a password. Not to mention it’s a 4th Amendment violation.”
Jackson County Prosecutor Charged Former Deputy With Felony Misconduct
Jackson County Prosecutor Lynsey Fleetwood announced charges against former sheriff’s deputy Skylar Thompson, 31, for official misconduct, a Level 6 felony, and fraud, a Class A misdemeanor. According to a probable cause affidavit, Thompson conducted 2,055 searches of the same license plate between Dec. 31, 2025, and Aug. 2, 2026, using his department’s Flock camera access.
Deputy Allegedly Logged Searches Under False Justification
The affidavit alleges Thompson listed the reason for his searches as “city planning/traffic analysis,” despite never being assigned duties involving either function. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office discovered the pattern during a routine internal audit of the Flock system and referred the matter to Indiana State Police for an independent investigation.
Deputy Resigned Same Day He Was Confronted, Then Turned Himself In
Thompson resigned from the sheriff’s department the day he was confronted about the searches and separately went to his girlfriend’s home and admitted what he had done, according to a report by WKBN-TV cited in coverage of the case. He turned himself in to authorities after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Prosecutor’s Office Says “No Person Is Above the Law”
“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with access to sensitive information and investigative tools, and that access must be used responsibly and only for legitimate law enforcement purposes,” the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said in its announcement. “No person is above the law, including those entrusted with enforcing it.” As with any criminal charge, Thompson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Flock Says It Supports “Thoughtful Legislation” and Accountability Measures
Flock Safety spokesperson Paris Lewbel defended the company’s technology as “an important public safety tool for law enforcement agencies,” citing its use in solving crimes, finding missing people and recovering stolen vehicles. Lewbel said the company “supports thoughtful legislation and strong privacy, transparency and accountability guardrails that ensure technology is used responsibly.”
Advocacy Group’s Official Database Now Tracks More Than 140 Similar Cases Nationwide
The Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm, maintains an online database that had cataloged more than 140 documented incidents of automated license plate reader misuse as of early September, including romantic stalking, wrongful stops and non-law-enforcement uses, indicating the Indiana case is part of a broader national pattern rather than an isolated incident. The organization’s database includes a Georgia police chief who tracked an ex-girlfriend roughly 600 times and a Texas deputy who used the system to locate a woman who had allegedly taken abortion medication, at the request of her abusive partner. Weeks before Thompson’s case became public, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department separately discovered on Aug. 6 that one of its own officers had used the department’s Flock cameras for personal reasons unrelated to any investigation.
Indiana Lawmakers Are Already Drafting Statewide Restrictions
State Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, a former deputy prosecutor, has said he plans to introduce legislation in the Indiana General Assembly’s next session to limit license-plate-reader use while preserving its investigative value. “I don’t think we suspended the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution anytime recently, so we should probably look at this topic,” Freeman said. Indiana currently has only one statewide restriction on the technology, a law barring homeowners’ associations from deploying it, and does not otherwise regulate how police or private companies may use license-plate data.
Indiana’s Lieutenant Governor Has Also Called for New Limits
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said he has been in discussions with state lawmakers about legislation restricting how police departments use Flock cameras, saying Indiana should “get out ahead” of the issue, though he did not detail specific proposed restrictions. Gov. Mike Braun’s press secretary, Griffin Reid, said the governor “will always support law enforcement with the resources they need to ensure public safety,” signaling the administration’s openness to the effort without committing to specific terms.
Paul Has Introduced Federal Legislation on Government Surveillance
Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has repeatedly introduced the Fourth Amendment Restoration and Protection Act, most recently reintroduced in July as S.4998, which would require traditional court warrants before the government could search Americans’ communications gathered under foreign intelligence authorities. Paul has separately criticized Flock’s nationwide camera network on multiple occasions this year, arguing that a warrant requirement, not vendor-by-vendor contract cancellations, is the appropriate response to concerns about the technology.
Some Indiana Communities Have Already Dropped Flock Contracts
Amid the mounting scrutiny, the Bloomington Police Department did not renew its Flock Safety contract, and other Indiana cities are weighing similar decisions, even as some law enforcement groups, including the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police, have called for statewide standards to prevent misuse rather than eliminating the technology outright.