Four suspended, one former IMPD officer charged after license plate reader audit

By KENDALL PIERSON
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

Four suspended Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers and one former officer face charges of fraud and official misconduct following an investigation into the misuse of license plate readers, the department announced Wednesday.

On Sept. 23, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office filed formal charges against the five individuals. In addition to fraud and misconduct, one officer faces charges of stalking.

Internal audits in August and September 2026 identified the misuse of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology. IMPD began administrative and criminal investigations, leading Chief Tanya Terry to place the officers on desk duty and revoke their ALPR access. One officer later resigned, though the investigation into their conduct continued.

As more facts came to light, Terry suspended the four remaining officers and recommended they be fired. The following individuals face charges:

• Michael Rogers (16-year veteran): Suspended and recommended for termination; charged with three counts of misconduct and three counts of fraud.
• Jonathan Schultz (18-year veteran): Suspended and recommended for termination; charged with 12 counts of misconduct, 12 counts of fraud, and two counts of stalking.

Prosecutors identified 1,396 ALPR searches that were made by Schultz that appeared to have no legitimate law enforcement purpose. According to the probable cause affidavit, Schultz began stalking a woman when he first met her in September 2023 while attending a workout class at Center Grover High School. Schultz began to search her license plate in Flock just nine days later. The woman told police she believed that Schultz had a weird obsession with her based on comments he made after workouts.

Court documents indicate Schultz created a Facebook account with a fake name to message her. These searches were conducted while Schultz was both on duty and off duty for IMPD.

Schultz also used Flock cameras to stalk two other women: his ex-wife and a woman he met at her place of employment in Greenwood, according to the probable cause affidavit. He told the woman he was an FBI agent and that he was conducting surveillance in the parking lot.

In total, Schultz conducted unauthorized surveillance of 11 individuals: seven women and four men, according to the probable cause affidavit.

• Cassandra Crawley (7-year veteran): Suspended and recommended for termination; charged with eight counts of misconduct and eight counts of fraud.
• Matthew Binford (4-year veteran): Suspended and recommended for termination; charged with one count of misconduct and fraud.

Binford used the Flock camera system to search for two different license plates, one being his ex-wife’s, between April 2024 and April 2025. In total, Binford made 1,616 searches, according to the probable cause affidavit. He used another officer’s credentials to conduct the searches.

• Abigail Cramer (5-year veteran): Resigned; charged with six counts of misconduct and six counts of fraud.

Circle City Broadcasting reached out to IMPD for photos of the other officers, but has yet to hear back.

“Today is a deeply disheartening and disappointing day for IMPD,” Chief Tanya Terry said in a release. “These individuals’ actions went far beyond a clerical error or a violation of department policy. These actions crossed into criminal conduct and shook the foundation of trust that our agency is built upon. But I refuse to let the actions of a few define the work of this department and the hundreds of officers who show up every day with one mission: to protect our community.”

The alleged misuse happened before IMPD started its new ALPR policy. In August 2026, the department issued updated rules for using the technology. Every user must now sign the policy to keep access. All searches must also include a case or incident number and a federal offense code.

IMPD also increased auditing to find misuse faster and adopted a single login system to prevent shared credentials. The department now shares ALPR data only with Indiana law enforcement agencies.

IMPD is currently turning these rules into a general order for public release. The department stated it supports laws that guide the proper use of this technology while using it to reduce violent crime.

Statement from Mayor Joe Hogsett

“Technology has proven to be an essential tool in modern policing; however, any technology or police database must be used for the sole purpose of keeping our city safe. The alleged misuse of ALPR technology by five IMPD officers is absolutely unacceptable. Actions like these erode the community’s trust in law enforcement and it violates the sworn oaths these officers took to protect and serve our neighborhoods.

“I commend Chief Terry for her swift actions to hold these officers accountable. I remain confident in IMPD’s continued work to strengthen policies and auditing practices to ensure all policing tools are used properly and strictly for the benefit of public safety.”

Statement from Indy Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder

“Our collective organization is deeply disappointed by recent revelations within the criminal charges brought against members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for crimes related to misuse of the License Plate Reader technology.

“We fully support the swift actions of IMPD Police Chief, Tanya Terry, to promptly investigate these matters, immediately suspend the police powers of those involved, and initiate criminal referrals.

“While the FOP will have no role in the defense of these officers, we are mindful of the presumption of innocence unless and until proven guilty.

“As due process continues, we encourage a full and impartial review.

“Such alleged criminal misuse of the technology compromises the integrity and trust placed on law enforcement officers to use this tool for protecting the communities they serve.

“We support the efforts of Chief Tanya Terry in strengthening oversight and use of this technology.

“Our FOP is also already advocating for stronger guardrails with this technology statewide by the Indiana General Assembly this upcoming session.

“In the interim, we remain focused on strengthening administrative policies while balancing rightful privacy concerns.”

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/4-suspended-1-former-impd-officer-charged-after-license-plate-reader-audit.