Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office pausing use of 75 Flock cameras in region
HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio —
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is pausing use of Flock camera technology.
Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey made the announcement during a news conference Thursday, as questions around license-plate readers continue to grow across the region.
See full press conference in the video player below
“As of today, our Flock cameras will no longer be recording any license plates, we’re shutting down our access to any of the information that Flock cameras are providing,” McGuffey said.
She said they plan on cloaking or removing the cameras, as part of the contract. She says as part of the contract, they are able to do so without costing the county extra money.
McGuffey emphasized it is a “pause” of use, saying the technology has been useful but say residents have raise fair concerns on how it’s used.
“It’s serious enough that we are pausing until we have stronger guardrails in place,” McGuffey said.
She says they are looking to Flock and the Ohio legislature to create parameters around its use that put safety first.
“I want residents to understand we do listen to their feedback,” McGuffey said.
She says no deputy in the department has misused the technology.
Flock says its technology is used by more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide and helped support about 1 million investigations last year.
The sheriff’s office says there are 75 total Flock cameras in the county and townships. All will be turned off.
However, its usage hasn’t come without backlash, both from communities and elected officials.
U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, has introduced what he’s calling the “Flock-Off Act,” which would block federal funds from being used to buy, install, operate, or upgrade automated license-plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras.
Massie says taxpayers should not be forced to fund systems, he believes, infringe on privacy.
At least half a dozen communities in Greater Cincinnati have reversed course on the use of the technology this summer, ending their programs over growing public concern and risk of abuse.
Newport, Independence, Fort Mitchell, Erlanger, Fort Thomas, Edgewood, Pierce Township and Oxford have all announced an end to their Flock camera programs over the summer.
Amid public backlash, the company behind Flock cameras announced it is making changes in response to privacy concerns.
Those include reducing the default data retention period from 30 days to seven, and making misuse detection mandatory for every customer.