Documented Incident
Signal Akron finds 8,829 immigration-labeled searches of Akron's Flock data by out-of-state agencies
Event: February 9, 2026 · First reported: October 19, 2026 · 3 sources
An analysis by Signal Akron of audit logs for Akron, Ohio's network of roughly 150 Flock Safety license plate readers found that outside agencies accessed the city's data 33.4 million times between December 2024 and June 2026. At least 8,829 of those searches, from at least 369 agencies, were labeled with terms indicating federal immigration enforcement purposes, with the largest shares from agencies in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Indiana. The mayor's office said Akron blocked immigration- and abortion-related searches in May after learning a setting existed to do so; records show explicitly labeled immigration searches stopped afterward. The same records show Akron's data was included in a May 9, 2025 search by the Johnson County, Texas Sheriff's Office logged as "had an abortion, search for female."
The findings illustrate how a city's locally installed camera network can be queried by thousands of distant agencies for purposes its elected officials have publicly opposed, and how vague search justifications limit any after-the-fact audit. Akron's use of a vendor setting to restrict certain search categories offers one precedent other jurisdictions may examine.
Key facts
- Signal Akron counted 33.4 million searches of Akron's Flock data by outside agencies from December 2024 to June 2026; at least 8,829 were explicitly labeled immigration-related.
- On Feb. 9, the day Akron City Council unanimously passed an anti-ICE resolution, the city's Flock system was accessed at least 41 times for stated federal immigration purposes by agencies in five states.
- Florida agencies accounted for 3,052 of the immigration-labeled searches; the Florida Highway Patrol logged 1,171, most often citing "ice warrant."
- Flock Safety has said ICE does not hold an account and that it does not share data with the agency; critics including Council Member Fran Wilson allege indirect access through local agencies deputized under ICE programs.
- Roughly 3.2 million searches listed only variants of "investigation," and others logged entries such as "TBD," "1234" or "lol," leaving their purpose undeterminable.
- Akron police logs of 145,000 searches included three entries by two officers citing "Immigration (civil/administrative) – suspicious vehicle."
Timeline
- October 19, 2026Akron’s Flock cameras used thousands of times for non-local immigration enforcement
- October 20, 2026Akron defends use of Flock surveillance cameras accessed millions of times by outside law enforcement
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Akron’s Flock cameras used thousands of times for non-local immigration enforcement (Signal Akron, October 19, 2026)
- Akron’s Flock cameras used thousands of times for non-local immigration enforcement (Newsbreak, October 19, 2026)
- Akron defends use of Flock surveillance cameras accessed millions of times by outside law enforcement (Signal Akron, October 20, 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 October 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.