Documented Incident
Columbus City Council holds public hearing on Flock camera use as residents split over surveillance
First reported: August 11, 2026 · 2 sources
Columbus City Council held a public hearing Monday evening on the city's use of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, with residents, police officials and advocacy groups testifying about how the system works and who can access its data. No votes or decisions were taken at the session, which council members described as fact-gathering. Protesters gathered outside City Hall beforehand, calling for the city to end its Flock contract and cover the cameras immediately.
Columbus is revisiting an ALPR program it built with grant funding, and its handling of data-sharing limits and audit findings offers a reference point for other cities weighing whether policy changes can address concerns about surveillance networks they do not directly control.
Key facts
- A grant funded Columbus' first 32 Flock cameras in 2022, and a second grant paid for 44 more in 2024.
- An audit released by the Columbus Division of Police identified 15,577 searches (reported by WSYX as "15.577") possibly related to immigration enforcement.
- Columbus police data cited at the hearing indicated that 49 percent of homicide arrests in the first half of 2026 involved Flock technology.
- The city paused nationwide Flock data sharing in June and statewide sharing in July.
- Police Chief Elaine Bryant defended the cameras' use in violent crime and missing person cases and said she holds officers accountable for misuse; Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla said human error in the system leads her to question whether it is right for the city.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- City Council hears mixed views on Flock cameras, data access in hearing (WSYX, August 11, 2026)
- City Council hears mixed views on Flock cameras , data access in hearing (myfox28columbus.com, August 11, 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 17, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.