Flock cameras

An internal investigation by Reynoldsburg Police shows that two former officers may have made as many as 100 personal searches on the department's license plate cameras.

Columbus Deputy Chief Tim Myers went to bat for the city's Flock cameras as CPD assesses ways to prevent ICE and other agencies from using its data to track immigrants.

Columbus City Council has set an Aug. 10 public hearing on Flock surveillance cameras to address privacy and transparency concerns after the release of a police audit.

Columbus City Council will hold public hearings on two controversial topics in the next month: Flock Safety cameras and data centers.

Activists say the audit of Flock searches released by Columbus police Friday show the need for stronger policy and more transparency around the city.

An audit released by Columbus police found more than 15,000 possible immigration related searches, prompting Mayor Andrew Ginther to order police to stop statewide access.

The Columbus Division of Police have changed which agencies can access its Flock surveillance cameras after concerns were raised about the cameras' possible use for immigration-related searches.

Columbus hasn't put forth any proposed ban on police using Flock cameras, like other cities. Instead, the city will call a public hearing and conduct an audit of data from the surveillance cameras.

There are hundreds of Flock license plate cameras in central Ohio. Some have concerns about privacy and the lack of regulations that surround the technology, while others welcome it.

Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said his office is speaking with the city's police department to update the policy around Flock cameras.