Ohio lawmakers push for tighter restrictions on Flock license plate cameras

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio lawmakers are considering new restrictions on Flock license plate cameras, with some pushing to ban government agencies from using the technology altogether.

State Reps. Tristan Rader, D-Lakewood, and Levi Dean, R-Xenia, are working on legislation that would prohibit government agencies from using Flock cameras. 
 
“Technology has just moved faster than our laws have, and it’s time for our laws to catch up,” Rader said.

Dean said he has heard concerns from constituents who believe the cameras infringe on their rights.

“It seems like just about every day another case comes out where there’s an abuse of the cameras,” Dean said, citing concerns about officers misusing the technology for purposes unrelated to criminal investigations.

Flock recently released new requirements for law enforcement agencies that includes automatic audits and a shorter data retention period. But Rader and Dean say those changes do not go far enough.

Rader said support for additional restrictions crosses party lines.

“Catch criminals, absolutely. Track innocent people, absolutely not,” Rader said.

Not every lawmaker supports a ban.

State Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, a former Montgomery County sheriff, said Flock cameras can provide value to law enforcement, including helping locate missing people and apprehend suspects.

“I see the value for law enforcement,” Plummer said. “They’ve made some great apprehensions, found missing elderly people with them, so there’s value to them. I also have tremendous concern on the invasion of our privacy.”

Plummer said decisions about whether to use the cameras should be left to local governments and argued that lawmakers should focus on establishing safeguards, or “guardrails,” for their use.

“Until the public feels that their data is safeguarded properly and not being misused, there’s a lot of uncertainty,” Plummer said.

Rader and Dean hope to introduce their legislation in the coming weeks.