There are about 39 automated license plate reader cameras operated by the Fishers Police Department, most of them supplied by Flock Safety. This week’s edition of “Fridays with Larry” looks at the promise and the risks of that technology.

In my opening commentary, I outline the case for the cameras. Fishers police have described a road rage case in which plate reader data helped officers find and detain an armed suspect within about five minutes. The city keeps the data for 30 days, trains the officers and analysts who use it and says it does not sell the data.

I also look at the Sept. 23 charges filed by Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears against five current and former Indianapolis police officers. They are accused of fraud and official misconduct for running Flock searches with no law enforcement purpose. IMPD now requires every search to be tied to a case number. Chief Tanya Terry said that before, it was optional.

My argument is that the technology itself is neither good nor evil. But Indiana needs clear statewide rules on who can search the data, why, how long it is kept and who checks the logs.

My guest is Walker Lasbury, a Carmel High School graduate and DePauw University junior. He is president and executive director of Eyes Off Indiana, a nonpartisan nonprofit pushing for statewide limits on license plate reader surveillance.

Lasbury said he started the group last November. He began noticing the cameras while driving and learned Indiana has no state law regulating them. Each department now sets its own rules on how long data is kept and who can see it. As a result, he said, a driver’s privacy protections can change from one jurisdiction to the next.

His group supports three measures: a seven-day data retention limit, with a warrant required for older data; a ban on commercial sharing or selling of the data; and basic transparency and audit requirements.

Lasbury said the issue is a rare one that brings together conservatives and progressives. He said at least four efforts are forming in the Indiana General Assembly, and he expects some form of regulation to pass in the 2027 session.

“The question is no longer are we going to regulate,” he said. “The question is to what extent.”

In the closing segment, I discuss the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s May 4 decision to allow athletes to earn money from name, image and likeness. The board approved the change on a 13-5 vote. Starting this school year, athletes may profit from social media endorsements, personal appearances, private lessons and youth camps. Athletes cannot use school names, logos or uniforms. Booster collectives are banned, and every deal must be reported to the athletic director within 48 hours.

For most athletes at Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern, the change may mean little. For a standout athlete, though, it opens a door that was closed for more than 120 years.

“Fridays with Larry” is sponsored by Citizens State Bank, with a Fishers branch in the Thomas A. Weaver Municipal Complex.

Watch the video on YouTube at this link, listen to the audio on SoundCloud using this link, or utilize the links below.