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With the use of Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras coming under scrutiny, state Sen. Al Cutrona said he plans to introduce legislation to ensure information they collect is used appropriately.
Cutrona, R-Canfield, said: "Ensuring that the rights and privacy of citizens is upheld is the default standard in a government that is of, by and for the people. The legislation will prohibit any government entity collecting Flock camera data from sharing it with a third party or for personal use."
Cutrona said his proposal wouldn't permit any government agency in the state that uses Flock cameras to share data with an outside party or for such an entity to solicit the data. Also, the data could only be saved in the system for up to 10 days before being automatically deleted.
Currently, Flock cameras typically store information and are deleted on a rolling 30-day basis.
Cutrona said anyone caught using Flock cameras or its collected data for personal use -- rather than as part of an active law enforcement case -- could be charged with a fourth-degree felony, which is punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
It's going to be difficult for this proposed legislation to get passed this year as the General Assembly doesn't plan to meet until after the Nov. 3 election. Any bill introduced this year that doesn't get passed by Dec. 31 would have to be reintroduced for the 2027-28 legislative session.
A number of law enforcement agencies in the Mahoning Valley use Flock cameras, including Youngstown, Warren, Austintown, Boardman, Canfield Township, Cortland, Girard, Liberty, Niles and North Jackson.
There are about 400 entities in Ohio that use the cameras, including communities, hospitals, school districts, universities, homeowner associations and stores. In the United States, there are more than 6,000 agencies using about 120,000 flock cameras with those on the system having the ability to access the data from any of the cameras.
The high-speed cameras take photos of every car that passes and are used to track vehicles -- even those without license plates -- with law enforcement saying they are valuable in solving crimes.
But there's been growing concerns about the cameras, specifically privacy issues, mass tracking of citizens, the possible misuses of data, and the lack of transparency and public accountability.
There's also been recent reports that police officers in Columbus improperly used the Flock data for personal reasons as well as the city's police department disclosing that more than 15,000 searches were made in the past three years of its database for possible immigration enforcement by federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Border Patrol. The future of Flock cameras in Columbus is uncertain.
In Reynoldsburg, two police officers resigned amid accusations they misused Flock data.
When asked earlier this week about Flock cameras, Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said: "Just because a tool is abused does not mean that the tool is not an effective tool."