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License-plate readers · Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga County

Using license-plate readers · 6 agencies documented

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Cleveland Division of Police

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
100
About 100 Flock license plate readers citywide, in use since 2023 (Ideastream, Signal Cleveland, Cleveland Scene, Cleveland 19).
Contract
Flock Safety: $125,000 six-month extension · from July 2026 · to Dec. 26, 2026 · approved by Cleveland City Council July 15, 2026 · The administration asked for a one-year, $250,000 renewal. The Safety Committee cut it to six months and $125,000. The full council approved it 9-6. Cleveland Scene reports that the extension runs out Dec. 26 and that the city is seeking bids for a replacement. Ordinance number not found. (Signal Cleveland, July 15, 2026; Ideastream Public Media (via WYSU 88.5 FM), July 15, 2026; Cleveland Scene, July 16, 2026; cleveland.com (Advance Local), republished by Government Technology via Tribune Content Agency, July 31, 2026)
  1. 2023 Cleveland first switched on its Flock plate-reader cameras in summer 2023. Ideastream reports that a state of Ohio grant paid for the first contract. (News 5 Cleveland (WEWS), June 17, 2026; Ideastream Public Media (via WYSU 88.5 FM), Dec. 4, 2025)
  2. Nov. 2025 The city started blocking immigration-related keyword searches of its Flock data. Cleveland.com, as cited by Signal Cleveland, counted nearly 2,000 immigration-related searches in 2025 before the block took effect. (Signal Cleveland, July 15, 2026)
  3. June 2026 In a June hearing, council's Public Safety Committee, chaired by Michael Polensek, voted 3-1 against renewing the Flock contract. An extension would have cost about $250,000. (News 5 Cleveland (WEWS), June 17, 2026)
  4. June 29, 2026 The Flock contract expired. Flock agreed to keep the system running until July 15 while council considered an extension. (Cleveland 19 News (WOIO), June 30, 2026)
  5. July 15, 2026 City Council voted 9-6 for a six-month, $125,000 extension. The ordinance bars Flock from giving Cleveland's data to outside agencies unless a search warrant requires it, and it ends the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center's access. Police must set up an online portal and file quarterly reports to council on plate-reader use. Police Chief Dorothy Todd said the city had turned off all searches by outside agencies. Images are kept for 30 days. (Signal Cleveland, July 15, 2026; Ideastream Public Media (via WYSU 88.5 FM), July 15, 2026; Cleveland Scene, July 16, 2026)
  6. Sept. 2026 Ideastream reported that the contract is up for renewal and that the city may switch to Axon, which already holds a large contract with Cleveland. (Ideastream Public Media / WVXU (The Ohio Newsroom, via WYSU), Sept. 2, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Signal Cleveland's analysis found nearly 8 million searches of Cleveland's data from January to mid-May 2026, 9% of them by Houston and Dallas police.
  • No Legistar ordinance number was found. A records follow-up should pull the July 15, 2026 ordinance text.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Shaker Heights Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
18
18 Flock plate readers at major entrances to the city, according to the city's release. Cleveland.com counts 7 original cameras and 11 added.
Contract
Flock Safety: $87,650 five-year maximum (seven readers; $17,500 in recurring annual charges) · from Aug. 1, 2023 · Original agreement, effective Aug. 1, 2023, as reported by cleveland.com; the approving body is not stated. (cleveland.com (Advance Local), republished by Government Technology via Tribune Content Agency, July 31, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $116,900 expansion added to five-year agreement (new maximum $204,550) · approved by Shaker Heights City Council Feb. 2025 · Council approved the expansion in February 2025, as reported by cleveland.com. (cleveland.com (Advance Local), republished by Government Technology via Tribune Content Agency, July 31, 2026)
  1. Feb. 2022 The city signed a memorandum of understanding with Flock Safety for access to Flock cameras outside the city. Six Flock plate readers were installed in March 2022. (City of Shaker Heights, June 2026)
  2. May 11, 2026 The police chief and a lieutenant briefed a City Council work session on the Flock technology. (City of Shaker Heights, June 2026)
  3. June 2026 Mayor David Weiss signed an amended Flock contract. Under it, Flock may release city data only under a court-issued search warrant and must notify the city first. Federal agencies, agencies outside Ohio and agencies with 287(g) agreements are barred from the data. Each police search must be tied to a case number. The city contacted all 434 agencies that had requested access. Public records obtained by News 5 covering Dec. 20, 2025 through April 2026 listed immigration as the reason for searches of Shaker's data 282 times. (City of Shaker Heights, June 2026; News 5 Cleveland (WEWS), June 19, 2026; Axios Cleveland, June 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The exact signing date of the amended contract was not confirmed. The city release has a 'June x, 2026' placeholder, and the hosting file name suggests June 17, 2026.

From agency records.

Strongsville Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
25
25 cameras (19 original plus 6 added in 2025), per cleveland.com.
Contract
Flock Safety: $135,750 initial 24-month agreement · approved by Strongsville City Council Jan. 2024 · Cleveland.com gives $135,750. Cleveland 19 (Feb. 2024) gave $163,750 for the 19-camera purchase approved Jan. 16. The two figures conflict, so the council record should be checked. (cleveland.com (Advance Local), republished by Government Technology via Tribune Content Agency, July 31, 2026; Cleveland 19 News (WOIO), Feb. 22, 2024)
Contract
Flock Safety: $54,900 three-year expansion total · approved by Strongsville City Council Nov. 2025 · Adds 6 cameras. (cleveland.com (Advance Local), republished by Government Technology via Tribune Content Agency, July 31, 2026)
  1. Nov. 2025 Council authorized a three-year, $54,900 expansion of the Flock system. (cleveland.com (Advance Local), republished by Government Technology via Tribune Content Agency, July 31, 2026)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Parma Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
12
12 cameras listed on Parma's Flock transparency portal, last updated Sept. 23, 2025.
  1. Sept. 23, 2025 Parma's Flock transparency portal lists 12 cameras and 30-day retention. It reports 507 searches and 408,413 vehicles detected in the previous 30 days. Prohibited uses listed include immigration enforcement and traffic enforcement. (Flock Safety / Parma Police Department, Sept. 23, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The portal also lists a long roster of agencies with access, which was not counted precisely.

From agency records.

Cleveland Heights Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
30
Cleveland 19 reports 'more than thirty' Flock cameras in the city.
Contract
Flock Safety: $50,000 year (five-year contract signed 2024) · from 2024 · About two and a half years remained as of October 2026, per Cleveland 19. (Cleveland 19 News (WOIO), Oct. 5, 2026)
  1. Aug. 2026 At a council meeting, Mayor Jim Petras said the cameras helped with safety and that the city had sharply reduced outside access to its Flock cameras since January. (Cleveland 19 News (WOIO), Oct. 5, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The camera count is given as 'more than thirty'. The number 30 is a floor.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Euclid Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No camera count on the department page. The linked Flock portal could not be loaded.
  1. Aug. 18, 2026 The Euclid Police Department posted a Flock transparency portal page saying it uses Flock plate-reader technology for criminal investigations, wanted fugitives and missing or endangered people. (Euclid Police Department, date not shown)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The department's 'Flock Transparency Portal' page, posted Aug. 18, 2026, says it uses Flock plate-reader technology.

From agency records.

Statewide

  1. 2022 The state's Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program awarded $11.7 million to 24 law enforcement agencies in its 10th round. One recipient, the Marion County Sheriff's Office ($502,605), budgeted part of its share for Flock plate-reader cameras. (The Marion Star (via Yahoo News), April 6, 2023)
  2. Nov. 20, 2023 Columbus approved a two-year lease of 32 fixed and 8 quick-deploy plate readers through a state term contract; the request form attached to the ordinance identifies them as Flock cameras. The $275,200.01 cost was paid from a 2022 American Rescue Plan grant administered by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services. A second OCJS grant, the "FY24 Columbus LPR Project," paid for a $228,000 Flock lease approved in December 2024. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Nov. 22, 2023; Columbus City Council (Legistar), Dec. 11, 2024)
  3. Nov. 2025 The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed it contracts with Flock Safety, at $90,000 a year according to Cleveland Scene. A Patrol spokesperson said the system helps troopers recover stolen cars, track down suspects and act on missing- or endangered-person alerts. Scene did not report how many cameras the Patrol has or how long it keeps the data. (Cleveland Scene, Nov. 13, 2025)
  4. March 3, 2026 Rep. K. Miller introduced House Bill 725. It would make it a first-degree misdemeanor to knowingly collect, use, sell or share data from automated license plate recognition systems for commercial purposes. Law enforcement use, transfers between public entities and public-records disclosures are exempt. (Ohio Legislative Service Commission, March 10, 2026)
  5. May 11, 2026 Gov. Mike DeWine named Public Safety Director Andy Wilson as interim attorney general through the end of 2026. Dave Yost had announced on May 7 that he would resign effective June 7. (Cleveland19 (WOIO), May 11, 2026)
  6. July 22, 2026 Signal Ohio reported that several state agencies pay for Flock access or cameras. Its figures: the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction paid $171,000 in 2025 and $213,500 in 2026; the Attorney General's Office paid $30,000 in 2023 and $75,000 in 2025; the Department of Youth Services paid about $50,000 over two years; the Fire Marshal's investigation bureau, which uses five cameras plus the Flock network, paid $21,000 in 2025; and the Bureau of Workers' Compensation paid $24,000. The Department of Public Safety also contracts with Flock, but no amount was given. (Signal Ohio, July 22, 2026)
  7. Sept. 2026 Four state representatives, Tristan Rader, Levi Dean, Darnell Brewer and Justin Pizzulli, wrote to Transportation Director Pamela Boratyn. They asked ODOT to stop issuing permits for plate readers in state rights-of-way, to review or revoke existing permits, and to disclose how many it has approved. ODOT runs an online portal where local police apply for these permits. A spokesperson said the department was reviewing the request. (Ohio Capital Journal, Sept. 10, 2026; NBC4 WCMH-TV, Sept. 4, 2026)
  8. Sept. 2026 Four Republican-sponsored bills were introduced. Senate Bill 469 (Sen. Al Cutrona) would require deletion of plate-reader data after 10 days, a search warrant for sharing with other government agencies, monthly audits, annual reports to the Attorney General, and a 500-foot buffer around places of worship and gun stores. House Bill 1009 (Reps. Newman and Willis) would make personal misuse of the data a felony. House Bill 1010 (Rep. Levi Dean) would generally bar government use of such cameras without a warrant. House Bill 1011 (Rep. Gary Click) would limit use for one year to set categories of cases. (News 5 Cleveland (WEWS), Sept. 9, 2026; cleveland.com / Government Technology, Sept. 22, 2026; Statehouse News Bureau (WOSU), Sept. 17, 2026)
  9. Sept. 16, 2026 Interim Attorney General Andy Wilson asked lawmakers to make plate-reader misuse a crime and to bar anyone who misuses the data from serving as a peace officer. He also called for required audits and a data-retention limit of no more than 30 days, and he opposed outright bans. (Cleveland19 (WOIO), Sept. 16, 2026; Statehouse News Bureau (WOSU), Sept. 17, 2026)

State agencies

Ohio State Highway Patrol (Ohio Department of Public Safety)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
No camera count found
Contract
Flock Safety: $90,000 year · As reported by Cleveland Scene; no contract document was seen (Cleveland Scene, Nov. 13, 2025)
  1. Nov. 2025 A Patrol spokesperson confirmed a Flock contract, which Cleveland Scene put at $90,000 a year. The spokesperson said the system helps troopers recover stolen cars, track down suspects and act on missing- or endangered-person alerts. (Cleveland Scene, Nov. 13, 2025)
  2. July 2026 Signal Ohio listed the Ohio Department of Public Safety among state agencies that contract with Flock, without giving an amount. (Signal Ohio, July 22, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No camera count, contract dates or retention period were found. A public-records request (ORC 149.43) to ODPS would be needed for the contract and Patrol policy.
  • Andy Wilson directed ODPS from December 2022 until his May 2026 appointment as interim attorney general.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Ohio Attorney General's Office (Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. July 2026 Per Signal Ohio, the office paid Flock $30,000 in 2023 and $75,000 in 2025. It said its Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission uses the technology in drug and human-trafficking investigations. (Signal Ohio, July 22, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Payments are as reported by Signal Ohio. Whether the office owns cameras or only has network access was not stated.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. July 2026 Per Signal Ohio, ODRC uses Flock cameras against contraband and other crime at state prisons. It paid $171,000 in 2025 and $213,500 in 2026. (Signal Ohio, July 22, 2026)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Ohio Department of Youth Services

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. July 2026 Per Signal Ohio, DYS uses Flock cameras to investigate crime and prevent contraband at juvenile facilities and paid about $50,000 over the past two years. (Signal Ohio, July 22, 2026)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Ohio State Fire Marshal, Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau (Department of Commerce)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
5
Five cameras, per Signal Ohio
  1. July 2026 Per Signal Ohio, the bureau uses the Flock network and five cameras in fire and explosion investigations. It paid $21,000 last year. (Signal Ohio, July 22, 2026)

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. July 2026 Per Signal Ohio, BWC paid Flock $24,000 last year for use in fraud investigations. (Signal Ohio, July 22, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The Signal Ohio article's year-by-year BWC figures are internally inconsistent ($24,000 'last year' and in 2025; $6,000 in each of two prior years). Only the $24,000 figure is used here.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.