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License-plate readers · Lucas County

Lucas County

Using license-plate readers · 4 agencies documented

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Toledo Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
Count not documented
WTVG reported in June and September 2026 that Toledo has more than 100 Flock cameras citywide; WTVG said in September some had recently been damaged and taken out of service. No exact count in council records reviewed.
Contract
Flock Safety: $282,000 one-year extension (not to exceed) · approved by Toledo City Council Nov. 6, 2024 · Ordinance 546-24, RTCC ALPRs, General Fund, competitive bidding waived (City of Toledo (Legistar), Nov. 6, 2024)
Contract
Flock Safety: $330,000 three-year agreement (not to exceed, as amended) · approved by Toledo City Council Dec. 4, 2024 · Ordinance 591-24 authorized Flock OS including 20 additional ALPRs at up to $150,000; Ordinance 618-24 (Dec. 18, 2024) raised the ceiling to $330,000 (City of Toledo (Legistar), Dec. 4, 2024; City of Toledo (Legistar), Dec. 18, 2024)
Contract
Flock Safety: $282,000 year (not to exceed), three-year agreement · approved by Toledo City Council Nov. 5, 2025 · Ordinance 512-25, RTCC ALPRs, General Fund, competitive bidding waived (City of Toledo (Legistar), Nov. 5, 2025; WTVG 13abc, Nov. 6, 2025)
Contract
Flock Safety: $14,000 one-year continuation (not to exceed) · approved by Toledo City Council June 23, 2026 · Ordinance 286-26, portable ALPRs; WTVG reported the extension covers four portable cameras (City of Toledo (Legistar), June 23, 2026; WTVG 13abc, June 22, 2026)
  1. Feb. 1, 2022 Council passed Ordinance 044-22 authorizing an agreement with Flock Group for a year-long study of license plate reader effectiveness. (City of Toledo (Legistar), Feb. 1, 2022)
  2. Nov. 6, 2024 Council approved a one-year extension of the Flock ALPR agreement for the police Real Time Crime Center, at up to $282,000 from the General Fund. (City of Toledo (Legistar), Nov. 6, 2024)
  3. Dec. 4, 2024 Council approved a three-year agreement for Flock OS and 20 more ALPRs (up to $150,000); on Dec. 18, 2024, it raised that ceiling to $330,000. (City of Toledo (Legistar), Dec. 4, 2024; City of Toledo (Legistar), Dec. 18, 2024)
  4. Dec. 4, 2024 Council approved an agreement with Flock Group for a year-long study of drone technology (Ordinance 590-24). This is a drone program, not plate readers. (Toledo City Council (Legistar), date not shown)
  5. Oct. 28, 2025 A council member filed a referral (REF-074-25) asking how long police and Flock keep the collected data, and whether other jurisdictions need the department's permission or a warrant to use it. The referral is marked answered; the answer was not reviewed. (Toledo City Council (Legistar), date not shown)
  6. Nov. 5, 2025 Council approved a three-year Flock agreement for the Real Time Crime Center's ALPRs at up to $282,000 a year. (City of Toledo (Legistar), Nov. 5, 2025; WTVG 13abc, Nov. 6, 2025)
  7. June 9, 2026 A proposed two-year continuation of Flock portable ALPRs ($14,000 a year) failed in council. (City of Toledo (Legistar), June 9, 2026)
  8. June 9, 2026 Council approved a one-year continuation of the Flock drone services for the Real Time Crime Center, at up to $100,000 from the Law Enforcement Trust Fund (Ordinance 241-26). This is a drone program, not plate readers. (Toledo City Council (Legistar), date not shown)
  9. June 23, 2026 Council approved a one-year continuation of portable ALPRs for up to $14,000; WTVG reported this covers four portable cameras. (City of Toledo (Legistar), June 23, 2026; WTVG 13abc, June 22, 2026)
  10. July 14, 2026 Ordinance 307-26, a five-year Flock contract for exterior cameras at District 2 school locations ($85,000 plus up to $50,000 a year in subscriptions), had its first reading; council held it on Aug. 25, 2026. WTVG reported the plan covers 16 school sites. (City of Toledo (Legistar), July 14, 2026; City of Toledo (Legistar), Aug. 25, 2026; WTVG 13abc, Aug. 18, 2026)
  11. Sept. 9, 2026 A council member filed a referral (REF-130-26) asking whether the city has ever investigated, or is investigating, misuse of the Flock system by city employees. The referral is marked answered; the answer was not reviewed. (Toledo City Council (Legistar), date not shown)
  12. Sept. 10, 2026 Resolution 398-26, which asks for an audit of how the city uses and oversees Flock, was introduced. WTVG reported some council members wanted the cameras paused during the review while others wanted them kept running. (City of Toledo (Legistar), Sept. 10, 2026; WTVG 13abc, Sept. 9, 2026)
  13. Sept. 21, 2026 A council member filed a referral (REF-137-26) asking whether Flock uses AI or AI agents and whether the city's new AI policy applies to it. The referral is marked answered; the answer was not reviewed. (Toledo City Council (Legistar), date not shown)
  14. Oct. 20, 2026 Resolution 435-26, which asks the city to end and not renew its Flock agreements and to have Flock equipment taken down or switched off, was on the Oct. 20, 2026 council agenda (outcome not yet recorded). (City of Toledo (Legistar), Oct. 9, 2026)

From agency records.

Lucas County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
33
WTVG reported 33 Flock cameras in use per the sheriff's office's new transparency portal (Aug. 2026); a separate WTVG report the same week cited 28 camera sites and two mobile units.
Contract
Flock Safety: $250,000 · approved by Lucas County Board of Commissioners July 2025 · Amount as stated by Commissioner Pete Gerken. Commissioners re-authorized the contract about two weeks before July 22, 2025, then voted 2-1 on July 22 to rescind it; Prosecutor Julia Bates wrote on July 25, 2025, that the rescission was void because the contract had already been signed. Sheriff Mike Navarre said in Aug. 2026 the contract runs through 2029. (WTVG 13abc, July 23, 2025; WTVG 13abc, Aug. 1, 2025; WTVG 13abc, Aug. 17, 2026)
  1. July 22, 2025 County commissioners voted 2-1 to rescind the sheriff's authority to sign the Flock contract they had re-authorized about two weeks earlier; Sheriff Mike Navarre said he had already signed it and would take the matter to court. (WTVG 13abc, July 23, 2025)
  2. July 25, 2025 Prosecutor Julia Bates told the sheriff in a letter that the board's rescission was "void" because the contract had already been approved and executed. (WTVG 13abc, Aug. 1, 2025)
  3. Aug. 2026 At a press conference held on a Tuesday (evidently Aug. 18), Commissioner Pete Gerken asked the sheriff to suspend Flock use, or at least data sharing, until an independent audit, citing a month-long review that showed more than 900,000 searches of county data by about 3,200 agencies. Navarre said he would not pause the cameras. (WTVG 13abc, Aug. 17, 2026)
  4. Aug. 2026 WTVG, citing KTRK, reported the Houston Police Department ran more than 71,000 searches of Lucas County Flock data in June and July; Harris County's sheriff's office said Flock's national lookup option was a likely reason. (WTVG 13abc, Aug. 21, 2026)
  5. Aug. 19, 2026 Navarre approved a Flock use policy: plate data is purged after 30 days unless it may be evidence, and personal use, harassment and hot-listing based on race, gender or religion are barred. (WTVG 13abc, Aug. 20, 2026; WTVG 13abc, Aug. 21, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Commissioners' resolutions not located; a records request to the Lucas County commissioners for the 2025 approval and rescission would firm up dates and amounts.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Sylvania Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
15
15 cameras per the Flock transparency portal (updated Dec. 10, 2025) and WTVG (April 2024).
Contract
Flock Safety: $52,000 start-up (approximate) · approved by Sylvania City Council · WTVG: about $52,000 start-up and about $40,000 a year in subscription costs (WTVG 13abc, April 3, 2024)
  1. March 2024 All 15 Flock cameras at entry points to the city went live (WTVG, April 3, 2024, said 'last month'). (WTVG 13abc, April 3, 2024)
  2. Dec. 10, 2025 The department's Flock transparency portal listed 15 cameras, 30-day retention and 47 searches in the prior 30 days; it lists immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment and personal use as prohibited uses. (Flock Safety / Sylvania Police, Dec. 10, 2025)

From agency records.

Oregon Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
12
12 LPR and other cameras per the Flock transparency portal (updated Aug. 8, 2025).
  1. Aug. 8, 2025 The department's Flock transparency portal listed 12 cameras, 30-day retention, 284 searches and 221,611 vehicles detected in the prior 30 days, with NCIC and NCMEC Amber Alert hot lists. (Flock Safety / Oregon Police, Aug. 8, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Portal lists immigration and traffic enforcement among prohibited uses.

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.