Xenia, Ohio

Flock Safety's automated license plate reader cameras have become a flashpoint in Ohio's 2026 governor's race, with candidates diverging on how to regulate the AI-powered surveillance tools now deployed in dozens of communities statewide. Democratic nominee Amy Acton says she would back bipartisan legislation banning Flock use statewide and supports halting new approvals of the cameras on state highways pending a review. Libertarian Don Kissick has pledged the most aggressive stance, vowing to issue an executive order banning Ohio's Department of Public Safety from using the cameras and to push for a broader public-sector ban, while opposing restrictions on private camera use on constitutional grounds.

Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy has warned the technology could enable a "Chinese-style surveillance state" but has not detailed specific policy proposals, and his campaign did not respond to questions. State lawmakers from both parties are separately drafting bills that could require warrants, mandate data deletion, or ban government use entirely, with the next governor set to decide whether to sign such measures.

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.