The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has "fully terminated" its Flock camera program, officials said Oct. 2.
Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras do not meet the department's "standards for privacy, transparency, and full local control over sensitive information," according to a media release.
At a September press conference, Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said her department was suspending the use of its 75 license plate-reading cameras amid concerns about data sharing. The cameras were turned off Sept. 3.
Plate-reading cameras, such as those operated by Flock Safety, allow law enforcement to track any vehicle's location without a warrant by capturing photos of its license plate each time it appears in view of a camera. They have
attracted backlash across Greater Cincinnati in recent months.
McGuffey previously said she personally supported the use of the cameras with its ability to locate missing people and stolen vehicles, she said the public's desire for more answers is fair.
Hamilton County joins Newport, Erlanger, Fort Thomas and Independence in discontinuing their use of the cameras entirely.
"I was elected to represent the people," McGuffey previously said, "and that is what I intend to do."
In Friday's media release, McGuffey said internal audits of the use of the system when it was in placed showed no misuse of the system within the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.
Cameras spark privacy concerns
Law enforcement agencies have argued the technology has assisted with investigations into serious crimes, including homicides. Civil liberties advocates say the collection and storage of vehicle and location information for government use shows the cameras' true purpose is surveillance.
Senior policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, Chad Marlow, said the cameras' intended use is to tracking every vehicle in the country and store the data for a month or longer. Officer misuse of the data posed a separate problem, he said.
Delhi Township police and Wyoming police have launched transparency websites which list successful use cases of Flock, including arresting a homicide suspect and finding a missing elderly man. Officials said the cameras provide value in investigations, such as by being able to place a suspect's vehicle near the scene of a crime.
"The use of this technology is governed by department policies and established safeguards," wrote the Delhi Township Police Department in a release announcing the website. "The system is audited, and officers are accountable for how they access and use the information."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton County Sheriff's Office shuts down Flock camera program
