HAMILTON COUNTY — The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has officially terminated its contract with Flock, permanently ending its use of the company’s automated license plate reader cameras.
The decision follows a temporary suspension that began in early September after residents expressed concerns over data privacy and external access, according to our news partners, WCPO.
“We took these actions after residents raised significant concerns about who outside of Hamilton County could access locally collected data, how that information could be shared and what level of control our office had over those processes,” the sheriff’s office said.
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Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey originally paused the camera program on Sept. 3 to request explicit policies from Flock regarding data distribution and storage.
Internal reviews conducted by the sheriff’s department said that the system had not been misused within Hamilton County, but officials ultimately canceled the program after concluding a full evaluation of the technology.
Hamilton County first partnered with Flock in 2022 after securing a grant that provided funding for 25 cameras, said Major Tony Orue.
The county eventually had 75 cameras that were operated throughout Hamilton County.
The automated license plate readers capture vehicle data and save records in cloud storage for law enforcement access.
McGuffey requested specific modifications from Flock during the suspension, including clear policies regarding the distribution and destination of captured data.
She expressed the need for transparency with the cameras and the residents inside the county.
“I know what we personally do with it, but it connects, it connects to a lot of technology and so forth and I want the company to be prepared to tell citizens what that is and where it’s going,” McGuffey said.
Despite canceling the program, the department noted the role license plate readers play in law enforcement work while reaffirming its policy standards.
“Although ALPR technology has contributed to important investigative outcomes, the sheriff’s office will only use tools that meet our standards for privacy, transparency and full local control over sensitive information,” the sheriff’s office said.
Hamilton County joins several other Tri-State area municipalities that have ended their partnerships with Flock Safety.
Newport eliminated its license plate reader system in July, and Fort Thomas Mayor Andy Ellison declared in August that “the city would stop using Flock cameras” after evaluating privacy concerns and changes in network benefits.
Residents in Hamilton held a demonstration against the cameras in August, and community members in Milford have called for their removal despite support from the local police chief.
The sheriff’s department stated that it intends to keep the public updated regarding any potential future implementation of license plate reader technology.
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