Local & State
Flock license-plate camera backlash spreads to Texas as Ohio bill advances
PN Team • 2 months ago
Backlash against Flock Safety license-plate cameras continues to grow nationwide. In Texas, Hood County Constable John Shirley shut down and covered the county's Flock cameras, citing "warrantless tracking" of residents; county commissioners had already let his contract with Flock lapse. Elsewhere in Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina, officials face similar pressure: Dayton schools are drafting a use policy, Kalamazoo now requires public votes on contract renewals, and Horry County, South Carolina, plans an October policy review after a Greenville County officer misused camera data to track a former partner.
In Ohio, state senator Al Cutrona is introducing a bill making personal misuse of Flock data a fourth-degree felony, requiring deletion after 10 days and barring third-party sharing — following reports that Cleveland's cameras logged nearly 2,000 immigration-related searches. The moves follow a Washington Post investigation finding dozens of officers nationally misused license-plate readers to stalk women. Flock CEO Garrett Langley has acknowledged the potential for misuse and announced new measures, including cutting default data retention from 30 to seven days and requiring a case code before each search. The ACLU called the changes "a step in the right direction" but said they fall short of legally binding protections like those Cutrona's bill would impose.
Sentiment
- Cleveland Cleveland's cameras were reported to have logged nearly 2,000 immigration-related searches, casting the city's surveillance practices in a negative light.
- Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo is portrayed positively for requiring public votes on contract renewals, showing accountability.
- Ohio Ohio is portrayed favorably as the state advancing legislation to criminalize misuse of the camera data.
- Texas Texas is central to the backlash story involving a county official shutting down cameras over surveillance concerns, reflecting negatively on the state's practices.
- South Carolina South Carolina is tied to an officer's misuse of camera data, a mildly negative but tangential mention.
- Dayton, Ohio Dayton, Ohio is mentioned only as the location of the school district drafting a policy, a neutral factual reference.
- Michigan Michigan is mentioned only as one of the states where officials face pressure over the cameras, a neutral geographic reference.