Documented Incident

LegislationPolice MisuseInvestigationsOhio

Ohio AG Andy Wilson urges legislature to make misuse of Flock ALPR data a crime

Event: September 16, 2026 · First reported: September 16, 2026 · 16 sources

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said on Sept. 16, 2026 that while Flock automated license plate reader cameras are largely used appropriately by police, some officers have misused them, and he called on the Ohio General Assembly to create criminal penalties for misuse. Wilson pointed to the state's treatment of unauthorized use of the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway — a fifth-degree felony that requires convicted officers to surrender their badge — as a baseline standard for lawmakers. He also said agencies' own internal audits, rather than outside scrutiny, flagged the recent problems. No bill has been enacted; Wilson's statement is a recommendation to legislators.

Why this matters

Ohio's top law enforcement official is proposing that ALPR misuse carry the same criminal consequences as abuse of existing police databases, a framework other states could look to as they weigh accountability rules for surveillance tools.

Key facts

Timeline

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

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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 September 23, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.