As local leaders pause Flock camera programs over concerns about mass surveillance, a Republican lawmaker wants to ban most of them.
Rep. Levi Dean, R-Xenia, plans to introduce legislation to prohibit mass surveillance technology, including Flock Safety license plate readers, without a search warrant. Dean also wants to ban the sale of surveillance data.
“I fully support catching criminals. I support giving law enforcement the tools they need to keep our communities safe. But protecting innocent people matters, too," Dean said in a statement on Sept. 3.
Flock cameras and other automatic license plate readers collect information from vehicles that drive by. That data is used to solve crimes and finding missing people. But critics say they collect data on innocent
bypassers, raising privacy concerns, and are open to misuse and abuse.
The technology is popping up everywhere. A Cincinnati Enquirer review of police records found that most of Greater Cincinnati's 106 police departments use license plate readers, and nearly all rely on Flock's technology. More than 1,100 cameras operate across the region.
Dean's proposed ban comes after Columbus police and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office announced they would pause use of the controversial technology. Columbus' decision came after a police officer searched the same license plate number "hundreds of times" for personal reasons, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
That kind of misuse concerns Dean.
"Flock cameras and automatic license plate readers can be valuable tools, but a tool that can track the movements of innocent Americans can also be abused in the wrong hands," Dean wrote in his news release. "Think about your worst enemy having that kind of power."
Dean's idea would go further than a proposal from state Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield to crack down Flock camera misuse and limit how long data can be stored.
Dean's bill has not yet been introduced and state lawmakers are on a break until after the November elections.
Ohio gubernatorial candidates' positions on Flock
Ohio gubernatorial candidates recently weighed in on Flock cameras and other technology. Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy raised concerns that they could lead to "an authoritarian surviellance state" and said they can't be used to spy on residents in private spaces, including their vehicles.
Democratic Dr. Amy Acton said she would review Flock cameras and other AI technology and stop any abuse of AI surveillance.
"My number one priority is keeping Ohioans safe, but it will never come at the expense of our rights," she wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio GOP lawmaker wants to ban most Flock camera surveillance
