Ohioans have been voicing their concerns about law enforcement’s use of Flock automated license plate reading cameras. 

Flock cameras are at the center of debate in Ohio. Residents are growing concerned about law enforcement’s use of the devices, which are automated license plate reading cameras. 

The controversy began when officers in Reynoldsburg and Columbus improperly used Flock data for personal reasons. Residents with privacy concerns have pushed back against the use of the cameras by law enforcement. 

Flock Safety was founded in 2017 and describes itself on its website as technology “that helps law enforcement, businesses, schools, and communities find relevant information, respond faster, and make better-informed decisions.”

The company says it has 120,000 automated license plate reader pan, tilt, and zoom cameras throughout the United States. The cameras capture billions of data points daily. 

The Columbus police use the company’s “Falcon” model to read license plates. The model is a stationary camera installed on roadways to scan passing vehicles and log their plates, the vehicle color, and bumper stickers. The data is then uploaded into a searchable database for law enforcement to use. 

The contract between Columbus police and Flock began in 2023. The department currently has 65 active cameras and 11 more installations planned.

Columbus police deputy chief Tim Myers defended the use of Flock camera data by law enforcement. He said the technology is being used to protect residents. 

Governor Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) recently defended Ohio law enforcement’s use of Flock cameras. He referred to Flock as “a tool that’s used by law enforcement every single day and people are picked up and brought in who we never would have caught any other way.”

“There can be abuses. When there are abuses, we need to take action. It’s the same way with running a record check. Every once in a while, when I was attorney general, we would see somebody who was in law enforcement who was running a record check for non-good reasons. They were running it because of personal interest and that’s illegal, so just because a tool is abused does not mean that the tool is not an effective tool.”

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson also weighed in. “If you talk to law enforcement officers, detectives, they’ll tell you again and again this is the most effective tool for solving crime and actually a lot of times preventing harm or death that they’ve seen in their career,” he said. 

Ahead of November’s general election, the use of Flock cameras by law enforcement will be a notable point for voters with privacy concerns.