Desk: Crime (lead) / Politics (assist) Status: READY — Copy Desk edit complete; awaiting N3 → Noah Slug: 20260904-flock-special-prosecutors Date line: Sept. 4, 2026 Brand: Region N3 / National News Network Word count: ~780
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VALPARAISO, Ind. — Porter Superior Court Judge Rebecca Buitendorp this week appointed two outside prosecutors to decide whether criminal charges are warranted in separate Porter County cases involving alleged misuse of Flock Safety license plate readers, after County Prosecutor Gary Germann asked the court to step in “to avoid the appearance of impropriety.”
On Friday, Buitendorp named LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan as special prosecutor in the case of former Chesterton police detective Christopher Schoof, according to reporting by Jim Woods for the Post-Tribune. On Thursday, the same judge appointed Jasper County Prosecutor Jacob Taulman to review the Porter County Sheriff’s Office matter in which Sheriff Jeff Balon disciplined a deputy for unauthorized Flock searches.
The twin appointments mark the second and third times in days that Germann has handed Flock-related decisions to an independent prosecutor. Germann has said publicly that his office’s day-to-day work with local law enforcement can create the appearance that it cannot evaluate officer-involved cases fairly.
“There has been some concern expressed because our office works closely with all of our law enforcement officers, we may not be able to evaluate a case fairly and impartially if it involves a police officer in our county. Therefore, to avoid any appearance of bias I have asked an independent special prosecutor to be appointed,” Germann told the Post-Tribune.
Balon announced Aug. 28 that an internal affairs investigation found a sheriff’s officer entered a citizen’s license plate into the Flock system for a reason that violated department policy. The citizen had complained after discovering the plate had been run. Balon’s statement said the officer received a demotion in rank, an unpaid suspension, an indefinite ban from using Flock, and remedial ethics training.
The Sheriff’s Office did not name the officer in its public release, citing the internal affairs process. The Times of Northwest Indiana later reported that the complainant identified the officer as Lt. Michael Piazza. Germann said in a Sept. 1 release that Balon’s investigation found the officer logged in as himself three times over several months and that, in Germann’s view at the time, “no crime was committed.”
That no-charge stance drew public criticism. Germann later told the Post-Tribune he had made a mistake in how the matter was handled and that an outside prosecutor should decide whether the improper use rises to criminal conduct.
“While we can all agree that law enforcement’s actions in this case were improper, I now believe the issue of whether those improper actions rise to the level of criminal conduct be evaluated by another prosecutor,” Germann said Wednesday, according to the Post-Tribune.
Taulman’s appointment puts that criminal-law question with the Jasper County prosecutor’s office. Balon has also said the department has since tightened Flock rules: searches now require a case number and stated reason, and the agency uses Flock’s audit tools to flag suspicious queries for review.
Separately, Schoof resigned from the Chesterton Police Department on Aug. 27 after he was confronted with evidence from an internal investigation into his Flock use in 2024 and 2025, while he worked as a detective, the Post-Tribune reported. Chief Tim Richardson opened that inquiry Aug. 25 after an out-of-state newspaper contacted the department about website records highlighting Schoof’s access to Flock data.
Richardson’s staff continued the administrative review after the resignation, then consulted Germann. Germann advised Chesterton to bring in an outside agency; Indiana State Police agreed Wednesday to take the criminal investigation, according to the Post-Tribune and The Times. Richardson has acknowledged that whether Schoof made an excessive number of inquiries on a limited set of plates will be part of the ISP inquiry.
Fagan will decide whether to file charges after ISP finishes its work. Fagan lost the May Republican primary in his bid for a second term as LaPorte County prosecutor; he remains in office as a special prosecutor for this appointment.
Flock Safety operates a national network of automated cameras that capture license plates and vehicle characteristics and allow participating agencies to search and share data across jurisdictions. Police agencies, including Balon’s and Germann’s offices in public comments this week, describe LPRs as useful for locating missing people and tracking suspects when used under policy. Privacy advocates and civil liberties groups argue the systems enable warrantless mass surveillance and have documented personal misuse by officers in multiple states.
Germann contrasted the Porter County sheriff’s three-search case with a Jackson County matter in which former deputy Skylar Thompson faces charges after an alleged 2,055 searches of the same plate with a false justification — a case Germann said had “little or no similarity” to the Porter County sheriff’s facts. Jackson County Prosecutor Lynsey Fleetwood charged Thompson with official misconduct (Level 6 felony) and fraud (Class A misdemeanor), according to WTHI-TV.
No charges have been filed in either Porter County Flock matter. Special prosecutors Taulman and Fagan now control the charging decisions. Region N3 will update this story when those offices announce whether they will prosecute.
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