Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced Thursday the city is suspending its use of Flock automatic license plate readers and is investigating a police officer for potentially misusing the cameras.
Ginther and Police Chief Elaine Bryant said Officer Melvin Tellis has been relieved of duty, but not fired, as the city investigates his use of the cameras. A USA Today database found Tellis searched for a single vehicle's location more than 200 times using the city's cameras.
Bryant said the city doesn't believe the searches were part of an investigation. This follows reports at police departments around the country of police allegedly using the technology to stalk ex-girlfriends.
Bryant didn't say who owned the vehicle Tellis searched for or what the person's relationship to Tellis is. The investigation is ongoing.
A spokesperson for Columbus City Council confirmed that Tellis was part of the team that does security every council member.
Bryant said Tellis was based out of Precinct 9, which covers parts of southeast Columbus.
Ginther, who has defended police use of the surveillance technology, said this has changed his position.
"What I have learned has shaken my trust. I'm angry. I'm disappointed," Ginther said.
Ginther said he'll still fight "like hell" to keep Flock cameras with added safeguards. He didn't say if the city would put bags over the cameras, like Dayton did.
Many more cities have restricted Flock cameras.
Bryant, who also has advocated for continuing to use Flock, said this was the right decision.
"When our officers do the right things for the right reasons. We will support them and have their backs. When an officer does the wrong thing, they will be held accountable," Bryant said. "That standard does not change because technology is valuable to us. In fact, the more powerful the tool, the greater our responsibility is to ensure it is used appropriately."
Ginther said he wants the investigation to be thorough and takes its time. He didn't rule out finding more misuse along the way.
"If there are others that have engaged in misuse or abuse of this technology that have violated the public's trust, they will be hold accountable," Ginther said.
Deputy Chief Tim Myers framed the police department's use of Flock cameras as a "learning process" as its added safeguards recently and pushed the private company to let it restrict sharing data. Myers said they will release new safeguards on Friday.
"We don't wanna create systems that rely on everyone to operate perfectly all the time. We wanna create robust systems that can spot potential misuse early," Myers said.
Myers said so far, CPD has put in filters to prevent searches related to immigration enforcement and reproductive healthcare.
Ginther also wants a bi-monthly, third-party analysis of the cameras' use, for police to only retain data for seven days instead of 30 and to end access to outside agencies without permission by CPD.
People around the country have raised concerns about the technology's use and its impact on privacy. People are also critical of Flock because it allowed the data from local police departments to be shared with federal agencies, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
An internal audit conducted by Columbus police earlier this year didn't flag the potential misuse. The audit found more than 15,000 system searches out of almost 20 million were immigration-related and only one was done by a Columbus police officer.
Ginther reiterated his belief that police can strike a balancing act with using Flock cameras and people's civil liberties.
"Public safety and civil liberties are not competing values. We must reject the false choice that suggests we can only protect one or the other. We can and must do both," Ginther said.
Late last week, Ginther announced additional restrictions on the cameras and canceled the installation of 11 new cameras in the city. The city currently has 65.
Meanwhile, Columbus City Council is considering legislation to restrict Flock cameras. Some council members, like Council President Shannon Hardin, say the city should stop using Flock cameras altogether.
A spokesperson for city council said in a statement Tuesday evening was the first time council became aware that a member of CPD's Executive Protection Unit may have conducted innapropriate uses of Flock cameras in 2024.
Hardin said in a statement he supports Ginther's decision to pause the use of Flock and conduct a review.
"A majority of Councilmembers have shared concerns about the Flock system and issues like privacy, data, and access. I have been clear that a nonnegotiable, necessary ingredient of public safety is public trust and I believe Flock has lost that trust," Hardin said. "We as a city can’t stay on autopilot while these technologies evolve faster than our policies do, so as we’ve said, we intend to legislate on this topic this month. Choosing between public safety and personal privacy isn't binary. I believe we can do both in ways that work to keep the public safe while always protecting their civil liberties."
Hardin is running for mayor, challenging Ginther in the 2027 election.
The city's contract with Flock expires in December, leaving the decision on whether to keep it in city council's hands. Multiple city council members have called for the city to end its contract with Flock.
