Documented Incident
Flock Safety plan to cut ALPR retention from 30 to 7 days divides NW Ohio, SE Michigan agencies
Event: August 14, 2026 · First reported: August 15, 2026 · 2 sources
Flock Safety says it intends to shorten default retention of license plate reader data from 30 days to seven by the end of the year as part of broader privacy changes. Monroe County (Mich.) Sheriff Troy Goodnough said his office is adopting the seven-day limit proactively, while Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre told WTVG's I-Team the shorter window could hinder cases discovered days or weeks after they occur. The Toledo Police Department said it needs more time to review the proposal. Advocate Jessica Molina of Abriendo Puertas Para Soluciones said the retention debate overlooks the absence of local rules and independent auditing for the program.
Retention limits set by a vendor, rather than by local ordinance, determine how long a community's movement records exist — and how much oversight residents can exercise. The split among neighboring agencies shows how uneven ALPR governance can be across a single region.
Key facts
- Flock Safety plans to reduce data retention from 30 days to seven days by the end of 2026.
- Monroe County Sheriff's Office announced it is adopting the seven-day purge, citing Flock data that over 90% of partial-plate investigations conclude within a week.
- Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre said a shorter retention period could cost investigators evidence in delayed-discovery cases.
- Molina said Flock cameras have been used for immigration enforcement in Dayton, Shaker Heights and Columbus, and said she believes proof exists; WTVG did not independently verify the claim.
- After a two-hour meeting with Toledo city and police officials, Molina said data governance drafts remain unfinished and no independent public audit exists; advocates are asking for a pause on expansion.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Flock Safety data retention changes spark debate among law enforcement, community advocates in NW Ohio, SE Michigan (WTVG, August 15, 2026)
- Flock Safety data retention changes spark debate among regional law enforcement, community advocates (WTVG, August 15, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated August 18, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.