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Accountability • Crime & Public Safety

Indiana Deputy Arrested After Police Say He Misused License-Plate Camera Searches

By 2 min read

GREENFIELD, Ind. — An Indiana sheriff’s deputy was arrested Thursday, September 24, after state investigators said he used a police license-plate reader database to search for people he knew without an authorized law-enforcement purpose.

Illustrative Flock Safety license-plate reader camera in Illinois
Illustrative file photo of a Flock camera in Illinois, not the camera in this case. LemononoM / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Indiana State Police identified the deputy as James Heneghan, 33, of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. The agency said an investigation that began with an intimidation complaint uncovered allegedly improper searches of automated license-plate reader records. Detectives submitted probable cause for intimidation, official misconduct and fraud, and served an arrest warrant on Heneghan. He was taken to the Hancock County Jail.

According to the Indiana State Police statement, the sheriff’s office placed Heneghan on leave after allegations of threatening text messages surfaced. The sheriff referred the matter to McCordsville police, who forwarded it to state investigators. An audit then found unauthorized database searches involving people Heneghan knew, state police said.

Why the case matters beyond Indiana

Automated license-plate readers can record a vehicle’s plate, location and time as it passes a camera. Searching many such records can reveal where a vehicle has traveled. That makes access controls and independent audits important even when cameras are installed for legitimate investigations.

The Indiana case is separate from Florida investigations, but similar questions about who searches license-plate data and why have arisen locally. CFL Report has covered a Fort Pierce officer charged over allegedly unauthorized searches and an Indian River County sheriff’s sergeant placed on leave during a Flock-use probe.

The allegations against Heneghan have not been proven in court. He is presumed innocent unless convicted. CFL Report has not independently reviewed the Indiana charging affidavit and is not adopting the specific search and charge counts circulating on social media as verified facts.