Terry Wong, a Ward 3 resident, told Cleveland City Council that license-plate readers began appearing in August 2022 and "multiplied" across the city without public notice, and she urged council to halt further surveillance procurements until questions about oversight and security are answered.

Wong said cybersecurity experts found some Flock devices running outdated firmware, storing passwords insecurely and vulnerable to rapid hacking. "If a hacked camera triggers a wrongful arrest or leaks personal information, it's Clevelanders, not Flock, who will pay the price," she said. Wong added that the city already spent $150,000 on a ShotSpotter study and she criticized plans to spend "another $3,000,000" on a new gunshot-detection system without testing it first.

Wong also raised an ethics concern, telling the council that "Council person Carrie McCormack left office early to work for Flock" and asking why Ohio's one-year revolving-door law had not been enforced. No response to that allegation was recorded during public comment.

Why it matters: Council approves and funds city technology and must weigh civil-liberty, cybersecurity and procurement risks before authorizing large surveillance contracts. Residents urged investment in housing and community services instead of additional surveillance.

Council-level details and next steps: The comments were part of the public-comment period; no formal legislative action on the devices was taken in this meeting. A public commenter asked that the council exercise oversight and enforce ethics rules where appropriate. Council members did not provide a substantive response on the record during the meeting.

The meeting record shows the surveillance concerns were raised during public comment and flagged as items community members expect the council to address in future oversight and procurement review.