COMMUNITY PROFILE
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City uses Flock Safety technology as part of its law enforcement operations. This page tracks what the public record tells us about the city's agreements, costs, capabilities, data practices, and oversight — and what questions still need answers.
Surveillance expansion remains unresolved
The $300,000 proposal is still pending
The Common Council did not approve the proposed $300,000 surveillance technology expansion at its September 15 meeting. After a public hearing and discussion of proposed safeguards, the Council tabled the appropriation until October 6.
The proposal remains before the Council. FlockIt.info is continuing to track the expansion, its recurring costs, the City's existing Flock agreement, and the evidence being used to measure the technology's effectiveness.
At a glance
Last verified: September 19, 2026
Michigan City has used Flock Safety technology since 2022. The city's system includes automated license plate readers and Raven gunshot detection technology. The existing agreement automatically renews unless the city takes action to end it.
PUBLIC COST
What does it cost?
First-year total
$187,000 recurring amount stated in the agreement
30 additional cameras for two years
Funded through a federal COPS Technology Grant
These are separate expenditures covering different contract periods. The records reviewed by FlockIt.info do not yet establish Michigan City's total ongoing annual cost for Flock technology. That question is especially important as the City considers an additional $300,000 expansion that may add continuing costs beyond the initial appropriation.
The agreement
Michigan City's agreement with Flock Safety includes an automatic renewal provision. That means continuing the relationship does not necessarily require a new public decision each year. Unless the city acts within the contract's required notice period, the agreement can continue into another term.
WHAT DOES THE SYSTEM COLLECT?
Your vehicle has a “fingerprint.”
Michigan City's agreement says Flock can identify vehicles using more than a license plate number.
The agreement calls these characteristics a “Vehicle Fingerprint.” Authorized users can search recorded vehicle data using characteristics such as color, make, decals, bumper stickers, and vehicle accessories, not just a license plate number.
How long is the data kept?
The agreement states that Flock deletes captured footage on a rolling 30-day basis unless the parties agree otherwise in writing. That means the system can maintain a searchable record of ordinary vehicle activity for up to 30 days, not just information associated with vehicles suspected of a crime.
CONTRACT RENEWAL
The agreement renews automatically.
The agreement ties the start of the camera term to when the equipment was installed and validated. The records produced by the city did not include a document establishing that date, so FlockIt.info has not yet been able to determine the exact date of the next renewal.
2026 PROPOSED EXPANSION
$300,000 in additional surveillance technology.
Michigan City proposed using $300,000 from its Rainy Day Fund for a revised expansion of public safety technology.
The proposed ordinance says Michigan City's existing Flock license plate reader and Raven gunshot detection systems are “frequently used” and have become “integral to patrol operations and criminal investigations.”
At the September 15 Common Council meeting, Assistant Chief Kyle Shiparski estimated that Flock has a “meaningful impact” on 20 to 30 cases per month. The department did not present a definition of “meaningful impact” or case-outcome data showing how many of those cases resulted in arrests, case clearances, recovered vehicles, or other measurable outcomes. FlockIt.info has requested the public records supporting that estimate.
KNOW THE TECHNOLOGY
“Flock cameras” are not all the same thing.
Michigan City's current system and proposed expansion involve several different surveillance technologies. They collect different kinds of information and create different capabilities.
WHO MAKES THE RULES?
Not every safeguard has the same permanence.
When officials say safeguards are in place, it matters where those safeguards come from and who has the authority to change them.
ONE GOVERNANCE MODEL
Community Control Over Police Surveillance
Some communities have adopted laws commonly known as CCOPS, or Community Control Over Police Surveillance. The basic idea is that decisions about surveillance technology should not rest only with a police department or technology vendor.
SOURCE RECORDS
Records used for this profile.
FlockIt.info bases this profile on government records, Flock's own transparency data, and attributed public reporting.
Includes the 2022 agreement, 2024 camera addition, Board of Public Works records, and federal grant documentation.
On file with FlockIt.infoCurrent Flock-published information about Michigan City's system, retention period, and sharing network.
View transparency portalMCPD announced that a routine audit identified searches that raised concerns about their legitimacy and that its administrative review determined an officer's use of the system violated department policy.
Official MCPD public statementReporting on the Common Council discussion and Assistant Chief Kyle Shiparski's statements about access, retention, and data sharing.
Read the reportReports on the September 15 Common Council public hearing, including Assistant Chief Kyle Shiparski's estimate that Flock has a “meaningful impact” on 20 to 30 cases per month.
Read the reportDocuments the proposed $300,000 expansion and the City's stated justification for the additional technology.
On file with FlockIt.infoOPEN QUESTIONS
What we still don't know.
What is the exact date Michigan City's existing Flock agreement will next renew?
How often does Flock information materially advance a Michigan City investigation?
How often is Flock essential to an investigative outcome rather than one of several useful tools?
Who controls outside-agency access to Michigan City's Flock data, under what authority, and is there an auditable record of when those permissions change?
What will Michigan City's total annual cost for Flock technology be if the proposed expansion is approved, including any recurring costs?
FlockIt.info will update this profile as additional public records and verified information become available.