Documented Incident
Worthington, Ohio council votes 6-1 to suspend sharing Flock license plate data with outside agencies
Event: September 21, 2026 · First reported: September 22, 2026 · 1 source
At its Sept. 21 meeting, Worthington City Council voted 6-1 to suspend sharing data from the city's 14 Flock automated license plate readers with outside law enforcement agencies, following nearly two hours of discussion about the cameras' effectiveness, privacy, and potential use in immigration enforcement. Acting Police Chief Jeff Kubasek told council that before the pause Worthington shared data with other Ohio agencies but not with federal agencies or agencies partnered with ICE. The motion also directs staff to deliver a status report in December and to pursue memorandums of understanding with any communities the city may share data with in the future. Council member Maria Ramirez, who said she wants the cameras removed entirely, cast the lone no vote.
Worthington's action illustrates a middle path some councils are taking between full removal and unrestricted participation in regional ALPR networks — pausing external sharing while seeking written agreements and audit reporting. The city's denial of a public records request for its Flock audit logs, which peer central Ohio communities released, raises questions about how residents can independently verify how the data is used.
Key facts
- Council voted 6-1 on Sept. 21 to suspend external sharing; Maria Ramirez was the sole no vote, saying she wants the cameras gone entirely.
- Worthington has 14 Flock readers, first installed along the Huntley Road corridor in 2023 in response to catalytic converter thefts and later expanded to city entrances.
- Kubasek said the readers have aided arrests in car thefts, recovery of stolen vehicles, and locating missing people; the city says police leaders review system usage weekly and use an automated alert for unusual searches.
- The city denied a Columbus Dispatch records request for its Flock audits; Columbus, Delaware, Grove City and Obetz provided similar records.
- At publication, Worthington's cameras had recorded 378,052 license plates over the prior 30 days.
- Nearby actions cited: Columbus paused its cameras and Reynoldsburg dropped Flock after finding officer misuse; Hilliard paused its cameras for reasons the city says were unrelated to misuse; Worthington City Schools ended its contract earlier in September.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Worthington City Council votes to suspend external sharing of Flock data (The Columbus Dispatch, September 22, 2026)
More from Ohio
Everything we have documented in Ohio, or search every Ohio article in the archive.
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 22, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.