An Ohio senator wants to crack down on people who misuse Flock cameras as pushback against the technology grows statewide.
Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, will introduce legislation to prevent police and government
officials from selling or sharing information with third parties and require them to delete data after 10 days. Anyone caught using Flock cameras or other automatic license plate readers for personal use would face a fourth-degree felony.
"This takes a snapshot in time," Cutrona told the statehouse bureau. "If there's enough snapshots in time, it creates a timeline and it creates a mosaic display of a person's life. That's where it has now crossed a line."
Cutrona said police could still work with other government agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as long as it's part of an active investigation.
Flock Safety is one of several companies providing automatic license plate readers to law enforcement, including in Ohio. And it's not just police departments. The Ohio attorney general's office and Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections are among several state agencies that contract with Flock, Signal Ohio reported.
Proponents say the AI-powered surveillance technology can help police solve crimes and find missing people. But critics from Cleveland to Columbus have raised concerns about privacy and whether local agencies are using Flock to aid in immigration enforcement.
In Reynoldsburg, two police officers resigned amid allegations of misuse. One officer repeatedly searched the name of a current or former female partner, according to allegations.
"This is a tool that’s used by law enforcement every single day and people are picked up and brought in and never would’ve been brought in any other way," Gov. Mike DeWine told reporters Aug. 10. "There can be abuses. When there are abuses, we have to take action."
Flock recently announced changes in response to the blowback from communities. The company shifted its default data retention window to seven days, down from 30, and will require case codes for law enforcement searches.
But Cutrona contends internal policies aren't enough.
"There's nothing that actually prevents them from deciding to change what they're doing," he said. "Absolutely legislation is imperative and it's necessary. This is Flock that may be doing XYZ, but there's several other companies that are out there."
Reporters Laura A. Bischoff and Bailey Gallion contributed to this report.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio could restrict Flock camera data, crack down on misconduct
