Ohio lawmakers call for pause on Flock license plate reader cameras

CLEVELAND — The debate over Flock license plate reading cameras is continuing in the Buckeye state, as two Northeast Ohio lawmakers call for a pause on new permits for the technology along state highways.

State Reps. Tristan Rader, D-Lakewood, and Darnell Brewer, D-Cleveland, sent a letter to the Ohio Department of Transportation asking the agency to stop issuing permits for Flock cameras in state highway rights of way.
 
The lawmakers also want ODOT to review existing permits and disclose how many Flock cameras have been approved along state highways.
“We should really take a real deep dive at this and just stop until we get a handle on this,” Brewer said.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson defended Flock cameras while speaking to law enforcement during a police think tank hosted by University Circle Police.

Wilson said the technology has helped law enforcement catch criminals and locate missing people.

“Thousands and thousands of criminals have been caught because of Flock,” Wilson said. “Lives have literally been saved, murderers have been apprehended, lost senior citizens have been found, lost kids have been found.”

At the same time, Wilson acknowledged concerns about how the information collected by the cameras is accessed and used.

He said Ohio needs stronger measures to prevent and punish misuse of Flock data.

“If you misuse LEADS or you misuse OHLEG, it’s a fourth-degree felony,” Wilson said. “We’re going to have to do something in this space to kind of lock up access to Flock or to punish abuses of Flock.”

Rader said he is not opposed to all surveillance technology but believes the current use of license plate readers has gone too far.

“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have some surveillance, but right now it’s far beyond what people thought it was and far beyond what I think is appropriate,” Rader said.

Rader said the lawmakers are asking ODOT to pause the permitting process while the Ohio Legislature considers broader regulations.

“We’re just saying, hey, I think it’s important we pause this program, this permitting process, wind it down like Florida did on their own, and then the Legislature can kind of take on this larger issue of regulating,” Rader said.

Rader is also supporting legislation that would prohibit government agencies from using Flock cameras altogether.
 
The lawmakers pointed to Florida as an example of a state that has taken steps to pause its permitting process.

An ODOT spokesperson said the agency has received the letter and is reviewing it.