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License-plate readers · Franklin County

Franklin County

Using license-plate readers · 10 agencies documented

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Columbus Division of Police

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety, Motorola Solutions
Cameras
65
65 Flock cameras at the time of the September 2026 pause (WOSU); 11 more were canceled
Contract
Flock Safety: $228,000 two-year lease (38 fixed cameras) · to Dec. 2026 · approved by Columbus City Council (Ord. 3181-2024) Dec. 9, 2024 · OCJS-funded FY24 Columbus LPR Project grant; competitive bidding waived; term runs two years from purchase-order certification. Council voted Dec. 9, 2024 (the clerk attested it Dec. 11). WOSU reports that the contract expires in December 2026. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Dec. 11, 2024; WOSU 89.7 NPR News (via WYSU), Sept. 3, 2026)
Contract
Flock Safety: $275,200 two-year lease (32 fixed + 8 quick-deploy) · approved by Columbus City Council (Ord. 3173-2023) Nov. 20, 2023 · Leased through reseller Insight Public Sector on State Term Schedule STS033; council voted Nov. 20, 2023. The ordinance text does not name the maker, but the state-term request form attached to it is titled for Flock cameras, and the 2024 ordinance says 32 Flock cameras were in use. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Nov. 22, 2023; Columbus City Council (Legistar), Dec. 11, 2024)
Contract
Motorola Solutions: $115,550 one-time · approved by Columbus City Council (Ord. 0792-2022) April 4, 2022 · Vigilant software subscriptions + two L6Q quick-deploy cameras (Columbus City Council (Legistar), April 6, 2022)
Contract
Motorola Solutions: $104,955 one-time · approved by Columbus City Council (Ord. 2498-2020) Dec. 7, 2020 · Vigilant software licenses + two fixed LPR poles (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Dec. 11, 2020)
  1. Dec. 7, 2020 Council approved a $104,955 contract with Motorola Solutions (Vigilant), paid from an FY18 Project Safe Neighborhoods grant. It covered Vigilant investigative software licenses and two fixed plate-reader poles in Linden and the Hilltop, linked to the ShotSpotter program. The ordinance notes that some cruisers already had plate readers. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Dec. 11, 2020)
  2. April 4, 2022 Council approved $115,550 for Vigilant commercial software subscriptions and two quick-deploy plate-reader cameras. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), April 6, 2022)
  3. Nov. 20, 2023 Council approved a $275,200.01, two-year lease of 32 fixed and 8 quick-deploy plate readers through Insight Public Sector on a state term contract, to be placed in ShotSpotter areas. It was paid from a 2022 OCJS American Rescue Plan grant. The state-term request form attached to the ordinance identifies the cameras as Flock. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Nov. 22, 2023)
  4. Dec. 9, 2024 Council approved a $228,000, two-year contract with Flock Group to lease and install 38 more fixed plate readers in ShotSpotter areas, paid from the OCJS-funded "FY24 Columbus LPR Project" grant. The ordinance says the city already had 32 Flock cameras. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Dec. 11, 2024)
  5. June 23, 2025 Council authorized the safety director to amend the Flock agreement to add a free, one-year, non-renewable trial of ForceMetrics' Informed Responder Platform. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), June 27, 2025)
  6. Sept. 2025 Cleveland's Flock audit logs, cited by News 5 Cleveland, show Columbus police searched Cleveland's cameras 2,296 times over one month (the article's reference point is Sept. 1, 2025). Only Houston searched more. (News 5 Cleveland (WEWS), Sept. 9, 2026)
  7. July 10, 2026 Police released an audit of searches on the city's Flock network. It counted up to 15,577 possibly immigration-related searches among about 19.6 million total since November 2023, 20 of them by Columbus police. The audit said ICE did not directly access the cameras. Mayor Andrew Ginther ordered an end to statewide sharing. Earlier, the department had stopped nationwide sharing and limited access to individually vetted agencies; WOSU reports that the police chief ordered the withdrawal from national sharing around April. (WOSU (Ideastream Public Media), July 11, 2026; WOSU 89.7 NPR News (Ideastream Public Media), July 15, 2026)
  8. Aug. 10, 2026 Council held a public hearing on the Flock audit, with testimony from the safety director, the police chief, a Flock representative, the ACLU of Ohio and members of the public. (Columbus City Council (Legistar), Aug. 13, 2026; WOSU 89.7 NPR News (Ideastream Public Media), July 15, 2026)
  9. Sept. 3, 2026 Ginther suspended police use of the city's 65 Flock cameras. He said the city is investigating whether an officer misused them, after a USA Today database showed that officer's account searching one vehicle's location more than 200 times in 2024. The police chief said the city does not believe the searches were part of an investigation. The officer was relieved of duty but not fired while the investigation goes on. Crews began covering the cameras Sept. 4. In late August, Ginther had already canceled 11 planned installations. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News (via WYSU), Sept. 3, 2026; WOSU 89.7 NPR News (via WYSU), Sept. 4, 2026)
  10. Sept. 25, 2026 A council member said he would not introduce Flock legislation by the end of September as planned and was preparing a broader surveillance-technology package instead. Several council members have said they oppose renewing the Flock contract, which comes up in December. (WOSU Public Media, Sept. 25, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Covers the city only. Cameras owned by Ohio State University, ODOT and nearby local governments were not part of the pause (WOSU, Sept. 4, 2026).
  • Cleveland Scene (Nov. 2025) said the $228,000 Flock contract was signed in late 2023. Legistar shows council approved it Dec. 9, 2024. The late-2023 deal was the $275,200.01 lease through Insight.

From agency records.

Franklin County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
Mobile cameras only; count not given
  1. Sept. 10, 2026 Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said an internal review had flagged a deputy's searches of Flock data as possibly improper, and that the matter is under investigation. The office has no stationary-camera contract with Flock. It uses mobile Flock units only in limited situations such as homicide and missing-person cases, and township agreements let its investigators query those townships' Flock data. Baldwin said the office is setting up internal audits. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News, Sept. 10, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No suspension was announced as of Sept. 10, 2026.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Upper Arlington Division of Police

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
20
Contract
Flock Safety: $54,500 year (after first year) · from 2024 · to 2029 · Five-year contract covering 20 cameras, as described by WSYX. The city may terminate without penalty on 30 days' notice if funding is not appropriated. (ABC6 / WSYX, Oct. 13, 2026)
  1. Oct. 2026 City council discussed proposed rules for the city's 20 Flock cameras but did not vote. One proposal would require a judge's approval to search data more than nine days old. Discussion was expected to continue Nov. 9. (ABC6 / WSYX, Oct. 13, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The meeting is dated to the month: the WSYX report (Oct. 13, 2026) says only 'Monday night.'

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Hilliard Division of Police

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. Sept. 2026 City council voted unanimously to pause the city's Flock plate-reader contract and directed the city manager to suspend the program while it studies the technology. The city said no Hilliard officer was under investigation for misuse. (ABC6 / WSYX, Sept. 15, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vote reported Sept. 15, 2026. The exact meeting date was not stated, so the date is given as YYYY-MM.
  • No camera count or contract amount found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Reynoldsburg Division of Police

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. July 2024 WOSU, citing Flock, listed Reynoldsburg among central Ohio Flock users. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News, July 16, 2024)
  2. Sept. 9, 2026 Mayor Joe Begeny stopped the city's use of its Flock cameras as of noon. He pointed to public concerns and to 'cases of misuse' that are under an ongoing investigation, which involves allegations that two former officers made about 100 personal searches between December 2025 and June 2026. He expected all cameras to be bagged by that Friday and described the move as removing the cameras. A town hall was set for Oct. 21. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News, Sept. 9, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Removal was planned but not confirmed as complete; status stays 'suspended' until it is.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Gahanna Division of Police

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
21 planned as of July 2024
Contract
Flock Safety: $70,000 year (approx.) · About $100,000 up front including installation, then about $70,000 a year (police chief, July 2024) (WOSU 89.7 NPR News, July 16, 2024)
  1. July 2024 Gahanna began installing Flock cameras: three were in place, with 21 planned. The police chief cited an up-front cost of about $100,000 including installation and about $70,000 a year after that, and said Flock deletes the data every 30 days. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News, July 16, 2024)
  2. Aug. 14, 2026 Police investigated a Flock camera pole cut down at North Stygler and Ridenour roads, the third city Flock camera damaged in about four to six weeks. (ABC6 / WSYX, Aug. 17, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Cost figures are the police chief's estimates as reported by WOSU; no council record was seen.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Dublin Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. March 2, 2026 Dublin revised its ALPR policy, which took effect in October 2023. It says the department uses stationary and mobile plate readers and names Flock. Searches require an offense type and case number, search logs are audited quarterly, and retention follows the vendor's policy. The policy also commits to a public transparency portal. (City of Dublin, Ohio, March 2, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • A Flock transparency portal exists (transparency.flocksafety.com/dublin-oh-pd) but could not be loaded in this session.
  • Dublin lies mostly in Franklin County and partly in Delaware and Union counties; recorded under franklin.

From agency records.

Westerville Division of Police

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. Sept. 2024 Westerville police said a Flock camera alert on a car stolen in a Columbus carjacking let officers find the vehicle and arrest a suspect. (CW Columbus / WSYX, Sept. 5, 2024)
Conflicts and open questions
  • No 2025-2026 record was found in this session. A Flock transparency portal (transparency.flocksafety.com/westerville-oh-pd) exists but could not be loaded.
  • The event is dated to the month: the Sept. 5, 2024 report says only that the arrest happened on a Wednesday.
  • Westerville lies in Franklin and Delaware counties; recorded under franklin.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Whitehall Division of Police

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety
  1. July 2024 WOSU, citing Flock, listed Whitehall among central Ohio Flock users. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News, July 16, 2024)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Only a 2024 secondhand mention was found. 10TV coverage could not be loaded, and the Flock case study is vendor marketing and was not used.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Ohio State University Police (Department of Public Safety)

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
About 60 as of July 2024
  1. July 2024 Ohio State had about 60 Flock cameras among nearly 5,000 security cameras on or near its campus. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News, July 16, 2024)
  2. Sept. 4, 2026 Cameras owned by Ohio State were not covered when Columbus paused its own Flock cameras. (WOSU 89.7 NPR News (via WYSU), Sept. 4, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • A state university, recorded as a local 'other' agency in Franklin County.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

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.