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One officer is accused of making thousands of vehicle searches linked to his wife, while another allegedly used the system to find women he met. This is an AI-Generated Image

Five Indianapolis police officers have been charged after prosecutors accused them of using police licence-plate cameras to track people in their private lives, including their wives, former partners, and women they met outside work.

One officer allegedly conducted more than 4,400 searches for vehicles linked to his wife and people associated with her, while another is accused of using the system to track women he met and appearing at places they visited. A third allegedly used another officer's credentials to search for his former wife's vehicle.

Michael Rogers, Jonathan Schultz, Cassandra Crawley, Matthew Binford, and Abigail Cramer were charged by the Marion County prosecutor's office on 23 September, according to court records. All five face fraud and official misconduct charges, while Schultz also faces stalking charges.

Five Officers Face Criminal Charges

The charges followed an investigation by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department into suspected misuse of automated licence-plate reader technology. Cramer has resigned, while the other four officers have been suspended and recommended for termination, according to IMPD. The department said internal audits conducted in August and September identified irregular use of the system.

The allegations have not been proven in court. The officers are entitled to due process, and criminal charges do not establish guilt. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said reporting on Flock misuse had helped prompt the wider investigation.

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Officers Accused of Tracking Women

The allegations against Schultz show how investigators say the technology was used beyond ordinary police investigations. Schultz, an 18-year IMPD veteran, faces 26 charges, including stalking, fraud, and official misconduct. Prosecutors allege he used Flock searches to track women he met in public and his former wife.

In one case, prosecutors allege Schultz told a woman he was an FBI agent before repeatedly contacting her. Court documents say he appeared at her gym within about an hour of her arrival at least nine times between 12 June and 1 August.

Prosecutors also allege Schultz used Flock to locate a woman he met after her car was stolen. After the two briefly dated, he allegedly searched for the vehicle when she went on dates with another man. Investigators further allege that Schultz searched the vehicle associated with another woman more than 170 times.

Thousands of Searches Alleged

Rogers faces three counts each of fraud and official misconduct. According to court documents reported by the Indianapolis Star, he allegedly searched for vehicles connected to his wife, her alleged partner and her friend more than 4,400 times between 1 December 2024 and 15 August 2026. Crawley, a seven-year veteran, faces eight counts each of fraud and official misconduct and is accused of hundreds of improper searches, according to charging information.

Binford, a four-year veteran, faces one count each of fraud and official misconduct. Prosecutors allege he used another officer's credentials to search for his former wife's vehicle. Cramer faces six counts each of fraud and official misconduct. Court documents allege she used Flock searches to track her current wife's former wife, along with members of that woman's family and associates.

According to court documents, Cramer allegedly conducted 477 searches for the woman's licence plate between 7 July 2025 and 1 July 2026. Other searches allegedly targeted the woman's mother, partner, and other relatives or associates.

IMPD Tightens Flock Rules

The allegations have led to changes in how IMPD manages access to automated licence-plate reader data. The department said the alleged misuse occurred before a new policy introduced in August. Under the updated rules, Flock searches must be linked to a specific case or incident number and a National Incident-Based Reporting System offence code. IMPD has also introduced stronger auditing to identify potentially improper searches more quickly.

Flock has separately announced new safeguards following wider reporting on misuse of its technology. The company said it would require searches to carry criminal case numbers and automatically review searches for abnormal activity. It also announced a reduction in the default data-retention period from 30 days to seven days. The Indianapolis cases now move into the criminal justice system, with prosecutors required to prove the allegations against each officer in court.

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