Council delays vote on police license-plate-reader maintenance, seeks stronger safeguards

The Fort Wayne Common Council on July 14 postponed action on an annual maintenance agreement for license-plate-reader (LPR) software with Flock Group Inc., voting to hold the item until Aug. 25, 2026.

Councilman Neal, who led the push to delay the contract, said he had reached out to civil-rights groups and local constituents and wanted codified safeguards added to any ordinance or policy. "I reached out to some of our staff of our nationally elected officials, talked to civil rights, civil liberties groups such as the ACLU and Americans for Prosperity, and reached out to them," he said, describing requests for written limits on data retention, usage, sharing and auditing. Councilwoman Booker said she was "not comfortable with supporting this measure, tonight" until legal protections are put in place. Supporters of the technology said it can aid law enforcement, but several council members and residents asked for additional public vetting and transparent guardrails before approving continued use.

The maintenance contract — listed as S260510 in the agenda — would have covered annual LPR upkeep for $120,250 under a special procurement cited to Indiana Code 5-22-10. After discussion and motions to allow more time for amendments and public engagement, the council voted 6-1 to hold the item to Aug. 25, 2026. The Clerk recorded Councilman Inslee as the lone vote against the hold. Council members indicated they expect to propose amendments that would codify Fort Wayne Police Department policy into ordinance language and add limits on data-sharing and auditing before returning to the issue.