IDS Thursday, April 16, 2026
INSIDE
He hated playing piano. Now, that’s how he earns a living
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
Bloomington Police restricts using Flock data By Grace Fridy gfridy@iu.edu
The Bloomington Police Department updated its policies for Flock Safety license plate reader data to prohibit departmental use or sharing of data for immigration and reproductive healthcare investigations. BPD Flock policies, originally created in July 2025, were updated March 26 to officially prohibit data use for these situations, according to documents obtained by the B Square Bulletin. In June 2025, a federal court ruling in Texas made it possible for states with abortion bans to issue subpoenas regarding reproductive healthcare obtained legally in a different state. Some lawmakers, such as State Rep. Carey Hamilton, D-Indianapolis, expressed concern that Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita could use this ruling to prosecute people who travel to other states to receive an abortion prohibited under Indiana law. Activists, protesters and public officials have called on the city to end its contract with Flock due to allegations from the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations that the company’s camera data can be accessed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal agencies. Flock is involved in multiple ongoing lawsuits regarding privacy, including a recent federal ruling in Norfolk, Virginia. Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté filed a lawsuit April 8 against Rokita, the most recent in a series of lawsuits between the two parties over immigration detainment. The lawsuit argues that a state law signed by Gov. Mike Braun in March requiring law enforcement agencies to comply with ICE detainer requests is unconstitutional. City of Bloomington Communications Director Desiree DeMolina said in an email BPD owns and operates 11 Flock cameras, but the number of cameras throughout the city could
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
A Flock ALPR license plate reader camera Oct. 20, 2021, is seen in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Bloomington Police Department banned the use of Flock data for immigration and reproductive investigations.
be higher due to Flock systems owned by Indiana University and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. BPD’s policy change comes in the wake of 400 demonstrators protesting the city’s use of Flock cameras on Jan. 30 at City Hall. DeMolina also wrote BPD’s new policy is part of city efforts that began in February to evaluate policies, use and oversight for Flock cameras. “So far, that work includes explicitly codifying practices that were already in place—such as explicitly prohibiting searches related to reproductive healthcare and immigration status, and clarifying audit standards—so expectations are clear and enforceable,” DeMolina wrote. At its March 5 meeting, the Bloomington City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution calling for more oversight of city Flock cameras and specifically requested a report from BPD detailing which officers and agencies can access Flock data. The city administration will send the council a written briefing of its findings from the report on April 8 and will share a public report of its full findings on April 22. The city council will have a regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 22.
JONATHAN FREY | IDS
Ceci Stratton holds a photo of Nate Stratton on May 6, 2024, outside a courtroom in the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center. The family of Stratton, an IU student killed by a drunk driver in 2022, settled a lawsuit with Kilroy’s Sports.
Family of IU student settles lawsuit with Kilroy's Sports The family of Nate Stratton filed the suit in March 2023
By Jonathan Frey
jonafrey@iu.edu | @byjonathanfrey
Kilroy’s Sports Bar and its parent company Intrepid LLC settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Nate Stratton’s family late last month after a nearly three-year legal process. Brad and Elizabeth Stratton, whose son Nate was killed by a drunk driver Sept. 18, 2022, were the plaintiffs in the civil suit that alleged Kilroy’s Sports recklessly overserved the driver, Madelyn Howard. As part of the settlement, Kilroy’s Sports pledged to donate $60,000 per year to a program preventing drunk driving deaths in Bloomington, according to a statement to the Indiana Daily Student by law firm Green and Schultz, which represents the Strattons. The agreement does not specify which program will receive the money, but Kilroy’s and the Stratton family are working to determine which
cause to donate to.
“There are no winners in the case because Nate is gone. We will be working with Kilroy’s Sports, MADD and others to build an advocacy campaign to honor Nate’s memory and prevent this tragedy from happening again.” Family of Nate Stratton
“The Stratton Family will work with Kilroy's Sports, the Indiana chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and other constituents in Bloomington to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving, and build a prevention program in the community,” the law firm's statement said. Further details of the settlement are unavailable due to a confidentiality agree-
ment, attorney Fred Schultz told the IDS. “There are no winners in the case because Nate is gone,” the family said in their statement. “We will be working with Kilroy’s Sports, MADD and others to build an advocacy campaign to honor Nate’s memory and prevent this tragedy from happening again.” Howard worked at Kilroy’s, where she celebrated a friend’s birthday the night she swerved into a bike lane on Walnut Street and struck Nate. She was not working on the night of the incident. A breathalyzer test later determined her blood-alcohol content was 0.226, nearly three times the legal limit. An appellate decision said Howard took shots of hard liquor, and she was described as having liquor poured into her mouth. A wrongful death lawsuit initially filed against Howard was amended in May 2023 to include Kilroy’s, in which the family’s legal team alleged
the bar continued to serve her when she was visibly intoxicated. Howard pleaded guilty to level 3 felony leaving the scene of an accident and level 4 felony operating a vehicle while intoxicated in March 2024. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison plus two years of probation that May. She appealed the judge’s ruling shortly after, but her appeal was denied last July. “Howard’s argument regarding the nature of her offense does not persuade us that her sentence is inappropriate,” the appellate decision read. “In fact, the circumstances of this case might even justify a lengthier sentence, but we choose to affirm the trial court who was in the best position to consider the evidence and credibility of those who testified.” Howard is currently serving her sentence at Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis.
Monroe County seeks extension to address jail conditions By Natalie Chan nkchan@iu.edu
Monroe County Commissioners are seeking more time to address alleged unconstitutional conditions at the county jail through a joint motion to extend a longstanding private settlement until May 29. The most recent extension was set to expire April 15. The extension delays further litigation from the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which first brought legal action against the Monroe County Jail in 2008 for claims of overcrowding, lack of sanitation and dangerous living conditions. The jail is housed in the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center on North College Avenue. According to the April 13 motion, the ACLU alleged in a Jan. 7 notice to the court that “no progress had been made towards resolving the problems in the Monroe County Jail” since the private settlement agreement was reached nearly 15 years ago. The purchase agreement will be presented to the Monroe County Council for approval during its meeting May 12 or May 26. Approval of the agreement will grant an extension of the private settlement until the new jail is built and approved by the
Indiana Department of Correction for prisoners to live in. If the purchase agreement is rejected, the ACLU plans to dismiss the private settlement agreement, allowing for potential new legal action regarding the jail’s conditions. The county jail was built in 1984 with an initial bed count of 128, though renovations over several years raised the bed count to about 298.
“The North Park site is the only site that Commissioners unanimously support as it provides the most cost-effective and timely solution with the least amount of risk of further delays or confronting unknown site and/or design issues.” Monroe County Commissioners
A private settlement agreement in 2009 limited capacity to 278 while the county worked to address overcrowding concerns. In October, the Monroe County Council unanimously voted against funding the $11.375 million purchase of the North Park site that
IDS FILE PHOTO
The Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center is located at 301 N. College Ave. in Bloomington. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana first brought legal action against the Monroe County Jail in 2008.
would build a justice complex including a county jail, court spaces and prosecutor’s office, citing high costs and reduced accessibility. In a Dec. 29 letter to the county legal department, ACLU of Indiana Director Kenneth Falk did not agree to extend the 2009 settlement on the basis that efforts were not made to improve the jail’s conditions. However, the ACLU and Monroe
County later agreed to extend the private settlement by 90 days until April 15, according to a Jan. 7 filing. A Feb. 24 resolution later stated “The Monroe County Council no longer wishes to consider the ‘North Park’ property for the location of the new facility.” However, a March 26 resolution by the county commissioners wrote “the North Park site is the only site that
Commissioners unanimously support as it provides the most cost-effective and timely solution with the least amount of risk of further delays or confronting unknown site and/or design issues.” As of the filing April 13, the Monroe County Commissioners have determined only a jail will be built and selected a property for where the structure will be
located. It is not specified where the property will be. During a Board of Commissioner’s meeting last April 15, a motion granting board president Julie Thomas authority to pursue an extension on the private settlement passed unanimously. The county commissioners plan to approve a purchase agreement for the jail’s property before the end of this month.