Georgetown Police Officer Arrested Over Alleged Misuse of Flock License-Plate System
Indiana State Police say Officer Justin Craig ran numerous Flock searches during duty hours that were not tied to any authorized investigation, while his attorney contends no law or policy was broken.
By Kavya Kapoor ·
A Georgetown Police Department officer was taken into custody Thursday on charges stemming from alleged misuse of the Flock system, according to Indiana State Police.
The case began when the Georgetown police chief was alerted to irregular search activity within Flock. An ISP detective then met with the chief, and Georgetown police carried out an internal review of the activity.
That review, ISP said, showed that officer Justin Craig performed numerous searches in 2026 that "did not appear connected to any authorized investigation." State police investigators then went through the system's logs themselves.
According to ISP, the logs showed Craig repeatedly entered search reasons such as traffic violations, drug offenses, assault or vehicle theft. Investigators found no corresponding investigation that would have justified any of those searches. They also determined the searches took place during Craig's scheduled duty hours.
ISP concluded that Craig accessed Flock information "in a manner inconsistent with department policy and without lawful purpose." A warrant was served on Craig on Thursday, and he was taken into custody.
Craig faces two counts of fraud and one count of official misconduct.
His attorney, Matthew Lemme, issued a statement criticizing the prosecution. Lemme noted that Flock sells the same technology to cities, homeowners associations and shopping malls, and said that when public criticism of the system arose, "the response was to put it on the shoulders of individual police officers."
Lemme asserted that the conduct alleged "does not violate any law or department policy." He argued that if the public or police agencies believe it should, "the answer is to write that law or policy." In his words, a public conversation about privacy and practice is appropriate, but "charging officers before it has even started is not."
Lemme said Craig will file a motion to dismiss the charges. A booking photo of Craig was not immediately available.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: WAVE 3 News