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Flock's future in Columbus is uncertain

Alissa Widman Neese

Solar panel array mounted on a pole with a license plate reading Flock camera housing beneath, outdoors with a blurred green treeline and blue sky in the background. — A Flock camera, similar to the hundreds throughout Central Ohio. Photo: Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Pressure is mounting on Columbus City Council to decide whether to keep using Flock cameras as public backlash grows and an expiring contract looms.

Catch up quick: A Monday hearing about the controversial license plate readers lasted nearly six hours, where feedback from 55 residents was overwhelmingly negative.

Protesters with the Safety Not Surveillance Coalition booed a Flock representative during the meeting, who then left before public commentary began, Matter News reports.
The group is demanding the city cancel its contract with Flock and dismantle or cover its dozens of cameras.

The other side: Police officials defended the technology's usefulness in solving crimes and say policies and safeguards will protect collected data, per WOSU.

That includes Columbus' pause on sharing data statewide and nationwide.

What's next: The city's two-year, $228,000 contract expires in December, which means council must decide whether to renew it or let it lapse.

"I think everything's on the table," WCMH-TV quoted Councilmember Emmanuel Remy as saying.

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Flock's future in Columbus is uncertain

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