Dayton Daily News reported that some of the backlash against Flock license plate reader cameras in Ohio has become criminal. People across the state have intentionally damaged, vandalized and stolen cameras that many police departments use.
The reporting describes cameras that were moved, removed, dismantled, struck and chopped down. One case has a place and a date. Someone cut down two poles that held plate readers on Stahlheber Road in Hanover Twp., west and east of Boyle Road, on Friday, July 31.
What happened to Ohio's Flock cameras?
The Hamilton Police Department issued a release later that same day explaining what the devices can and cannot do. The reporting names that Hanover Twp. case as the one with a location and date. It does not give a full list of incidents.
How many police agencies ran searches?
- More than 30 Ohio police agencies ran Flock network searches over the summer.
- Those searches relate to cameras that were moved, removed, dismantled, struck or chopped down.
The reporting does not say which agencies ran them or what each search was for.
What changes for drivers?
The incidents described involve specific cameras at specific locations. Removing a camera takes it off that spot, and the camera map shows where mapped cameras are.
The reporting does not say that a neighboring city, a county, the state, a business or an HOA has lost any cameras. Captions in the story list local decisions:
- Fairfield has 59 Flock cameras at various locations in the city.
- Dayton has suspended its use of the technology.
- Springfield agreed to extend its contract with Flock.
What is still unknown?
The reporting gives no statewide count of damaged or stolen cameras. It does not name the agencies behind the more than 30 searches, and it does not say whether anyone has been charged.
What can residents ask their police department?
- How many Flock cameras does the department run, and where are they?
- Were any of them moved, damaged or removed this summer?
- Did the department run network searches tied to that damage, and what were they for?
How the devices work is explained in how plate readers work. Local contract and transparency records are listed on the agencies page.
The reporting gives no date for a next step. Check your city council agenda for any Flock funding item before it reaches a vote.