Public records obtained by The Columbus Dispatch detail alleged misuse of the Flock Safety license plate reader system by two Reynoldsburg police officers.
According to the records, which The Dispatch obtained Aug. 6 via a public records request, an internal police investigation determined that officer Mark Nichols searched the name of a current or former female partner 46 times since 2025 while on light duty or administrative leave. Another investigation found officer Alissa Birkhimer searched a different license plate 53 times this year.
Nichols resigned July 13 after three years with the division, and Birkhimer resigned July 16 after nine years of service, according to the records. Each of them resigned before scheduled internal affairs interviews
about the accusations.
Flock cameras automatically read and retain license plate information and other vehicle information through artificial intelligence. Agencies that use the cameras have come under increased scrutiny in recent months. In Columbus, Flock cameras may have aided immigration enforcement efforts, and a Columbus police officer may face discipline after a city investigation found he used the cameras to investigate a personal, off-duty traffic crash in Gahanna.
A Reynoldsburg lieutenant discovered Nichols’ Flock searches during an audit on June 16, according to an internal memo. He determined the owner of the vehicle Nichols searched was a domestic partner to Nichols “at some point” because Reynoldsburg police previously responded to a domestic dispute involving the two.
Nichols was on administrative leave due to a terminal illness at the time he searched the plate, the lieutenant said. He wrote in the memo that “there would be no reason why [Nichols] should have been utilizing FLOCK to search license plates.” Reynoldsburg police ended his access to division computer systems.
Nichols was not disciplined because he resigned before the division could conclude its investigation, according to an investigative report.
Reynoldsburg police chose not to refer the case for criminal prosecution due to Nichols’ illness. That recommendation could change if Nichols’ condition or diagnosis improve, according to the report.
Nichols was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, in January, according to an online fundraiser.
Records reviewed by The Dispatch do not detail why Birkhimer may have searched a license plate 53 times.
According to an internal memo, a lieutenant found her searches during another audit, on July 2. She was placed on administrative leave the same day.
The case number she cited in her June searches related to a missing woman in her 80s who disappeared from Heath early that month, according to an internal memo.
Flock cameras picked up the woman’s license plate in Reynoldsburg, but the vehicle left the area minutes later, according to the memo.
Birkhimer’s June searches listed “Missing/Endangered Person/Runaway” as the reason behind them. Her searches during other months did not include case numbers, and she listed larceny or theft as the justification for those searches, according to the memo.
The records do not indicate whether Birkhimer could face criminal prosecution. No charges against her appear in Franklin County court records.
In an Aug. 5 statement, Chief Curtis Baker said he would not comment on the investigations.
Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9 President Brian Steel said the union will not pursue arbitration on the officers' behalf. Brian Toth, the lodge’s vice president, said in a written statement the union does not support misuse of law enforcement technology and supports accountability and due process for officers accused of wrongdoing.
Public safety and breaking news reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Public records detail Reynoldsburg police Flock misuse allegations
