Flock Camera Restrictions
Missouri and Ohio Move to Implement Strict Privacy Safeguards on Flock Cameras
Anonymous
Key Points
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Missouri’s Department of Public Safety will oversee the safeguards temporarily, until the General Assembly creates a permanent statutory framework for ALPR use.
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Kehoe’s executive order followed concerns from thousands of Missouri residents, including complaints that some municipalities contracted with ALPR companies without residents’ knowledge or consent.
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Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described Flock cameras as one of the most powerful tools he has used in his career and said they have helped solve thousands of cases in Ohio.
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Wilson previously said Flock cameras can help locate kidnapped children, missing adults or senior citizens, and homicide suspects, while arguing that misuse should carry codified penalties.
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Missouri officials said the safeguards are intended to preserve ALPR technology’s role in criminal investigations while protecting residents’ constitutional privacy rights amid documented cases of law-enforcement data misuse in Missouri and elsewhere.
Missouri and Ohio are tightening rules on Flock cameras, the street-mounted devices that automatically scan license plates. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order requiring police to delete most camera data within 30 days and banning facial-recognition tools. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson is pushing lawmakers to make unauthorized access to Flock data a felony crime. Both states are responding to documented cases of officers misusing the cameras for personal searches.
The moves come after thousands of residents complained about police departments installing cameras without public notice. In Ohio, officers in Columbus and Reynoldsburg accessed camera feeds to track individuals for reasons unrelated to investigations. Attorney General Wilson says Flock cameras help solve crimes and find missing children — but only when officers follow the rules.
How Flock Cameras Led to Officer Misuse
Flock cameras capture license plate data from thousands of cars daily across entire cities. In some cases, officers accessed this data to track people for personal reasons — not criminal investigations. A New York sheriff's investigator was arrested for running unauthorized searches. Ohio police audits found officers in Reynoldsburg and Columbus improperly accessing Flock logs. Federal agencies queried Columbus police data more than 15,000 times over three years without clear oversight.
Missouri's 30-Day Data Deletion Rule
Governor Kehoe signed Executive Order 26-18 after hearing from thousands of Missouri residents. The order requires police to permanently delete most license-plate data within 30 days unless it's part of an active investigation. Police cannot share or sell the data. The order also bans police from combining Flock cameras with facial-recognition software that could identify people by their faces.
Kehoe stated: "The unchecked collection and indefinite storage of location data belonging to law-abiding citizens raises substantial, valid constitutional and privacy concerns." The Missouri Department of Public Safety will enforce the safeguards temporarily. State lawmakers will need to pass permanent laws during the next legislative session.
Ohio Pushes for Felony Penalties on Misuse
Attorney General Andy Wilson told Ohio lawmakers to criminalize unauthorized Flock searches. He wants violations classified as a fifth-degree felony — matching penalties for misusing the state's law-enforcement database. Officers convicted of misuse would lose their peace officer badge permanently. Wilson emphasized that Flock cameras have solved thousands of cases in Ohio and helped locate kidnapped children and missing seniors.
Wilson said: "License plate recognition systems are tools of identification designed to assist in criminal investigations. They are not tools of surveillance. When used properly, Flock is one of the most valuable tools I have seen in my career." Ohio lawmakers are also considering requiring search warrants before officers can access historical location data.
Communities Demanding Transparency Before Contracts
Many Missouri cities signed Flock contracts without telling residents or holding public votes. Activists in Toledo, Ohio, protested police reliance on the cameras in mid-September. Kehoe's order requires police departments to be transparent about how they use the technology. Ohio lawmakers are considering laws that require community input before local police can renew or expand Flock camera contracts.
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