FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — The Fort Wayne City Council has unanimously voted against renewing the city’s contract for Flock license plate reader cameras, ending the current agreement following weeks of debate over privacy, transparency and public safety.
The vote came Tuesday night as council members weighed whether the technology’s benefits for law enforcement outweighed concerns about how the system collects and stores information on vehicles traveling throughout Fort Wayne.
Councilwoman Rohli Booker said she voted against the renewal because the city continued expanding the Flock system while the council was still reviewing its use.
“You can’t ask the public to trust the process while continuing to expand the very system that is under review,” Booker said. She also questioned whether the public was being given enough information about technology capable of tracking vehicle movements throughout the community.
Councilman Nathan Hartman said his decision came down to one question — whether Flock amounted to mass surveillance.
“My decision was this is, so I’m a no on Flock,” Hartman said.
Councilwoman Michelle Chambers said her vote was based on what she described as the council’s responsibility to protect both public safety and constitutional rights.
“Public safety matters, privacy matters, civil liberties matter, and our public trust matters,” Chambers said. “Those principles do not have to compete with one another.”
Chambers said the city’s policies need to provide stronger protections for all of those interests.
Councilman Paul Ensley also called for stronger guardrails if the city considers similar technology in the future. Ensley said Fort Wayne had been “mass surveilled” for multiple years without the public being aware of the extent of the system or having an opportunity to discuss it.
The unanimous vote means the city will not renew its current Flock contract.
The decision follows growing scrutiny of the cameras, including questions about how often the system is used, who can access the information collected and how long vehicle data is retained.
City leaders could now face decisions about whether and how Fort Wayne will use license plate reader technology in the future, including what restrictions or oversight would be put in place.
The following is the full, unedited statement from the Fort Wayne Police Department following City Council’s unanimous vote to terminate the Flock License Plate Reader Contract.
August 25, 2026
Following tonight’s vote, the Fort Wayne Police Department respects the decision of the Fort Wayne City Council regarding the proposed Flock Safety contract.
License Plate Reader technology has proven to be a valuable investigative resource for our officers and detectives, and the department continues to believe it can be used responsibly while maintaining appropriate safeguards for privacy, accountability, and oversight.
One of the first actions Chief Paul Smith took after being appointed Chief was to brief City Council on the department’s use of the Flock LPR system and provide information about how the technology is used. FWPD has consistently supported transparency and appropriate oversight of this technology.
The Fort Wayne Police Department will also continue to support reasonable efforts to establish legislation governing how License Plate Reader technology is used. We believe effective public-safety tools and appropriate safeguards can coexist, and we remain committed to working with City Council on clear standards that protect legitimate privacy interests while preserving the investigative value of LPR technology.
FWPD will evaluate the impact of tonight’s decision and determine the appropriate path forward. We appreciate the time City Council members and members of the community have devoted to this discussion and remain committed to transparency regarding the department’s use of this technology.
