Cleveland's final vote on Flock
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Cleveland City Council will cast the deciding vote Wednesday on whether to keep the city's controversial Flock Safety license plate reader program.
Why it matters: The debate has become the most polarizing at City Hall in 2026, pitting police and many East Side clergy against civil liberties advocates and a grassroots campaign that calls the technology a mass surveillance tool.
Catch up quick: Council's safety committee initially rejected the contract extension before reversing course last week and approving a six-month renewal.
- The cameras have remained active despite the contract expiring June 29.
By the numbers: A new survey commissioned by Flock and shared with Axios found 55% of Cleveland residents support police use of license plate readers, with the highest levels of support for using them to respond to violent crime and locating missing persons.
- The survey found support tended to be higher among Cleveland's Black and Latino communities.
The fine print: The survey sample size was 1,036, with respondents recruited through targeted digital advertising.
Friction point: The council vote comes amid questions about the role of pastor Aaron Phillips, one of Flock's most prominent supporters, who received monthly payments from Mayor Justin Bibb's reelection campaign in 2025.
- The Bibb campaign told Cleveland.com that Phillips was never compensated to advocate for Flock.
- Phillips did not respond to an Axios email sent to Sure House Baptist Church. Its phone line was disconnected.
Between the lines: Some clergy have pushed back on the notion that Cleveland's Black faith community uniformly supports the cameras.
What's next: The extension would only last for six months.
- Council's safety committee has argued that the abbreviated timetable would induce public safety officials to put out a request for new vendors and develop a long-term strategy.