Residents press council on Flock cameras as legal counsel outlines limits on releasing ALPR data

Residents asked city leaders July 20 for more transparency about the city’s contract and use of Flock automatic license-plate reader (ALPR) cameras. A resident urged the council to explain who authorized and paid for the cameras, what data is collected and shared, how long contracts run and whether the public can review audits of access.

Tony Parton told council that other cities have canceled Flock contracts and raised potential privacy and misuse concerns. “Who authorized them to be placed on our city? Who paid for them? Who is the information collected shared with?” he asked.

Council members asked staff for statistical measures of how the system has assisted police. The law director advised that the Ohio Public Records Act contains broad prohibitions on releasing derivative investigative information produced by ALPR systems and cited a statutory restriction on disclosing investigative derivative data. He said there are, however, categories of information that can be released without legal risk — for example, how many cameras the city has, basic logistical details, and descriptions of audit and access-control procedures. He told council he will work with the manager and the police chief to prepare a fact sheet that discloses what is legally releasable while protecting investigative data.

Council members asked for anonymized statistics showing how the system has assisted police (for example, counts of vehicles located) and for descriptions of audit controls and who can access data. Staff said they would pursue a legally vetted fact sheet that provides audit and operational information, and the law director reiterated the city could not release data that would disclose sensitive investigative details or personally identifying criminal investigative leads.