Cincinnati City Council unanimously ordered a review of how the city uses surveillance technology, including license plate readers, cameras and drones. The Sept. 10 motion, introduced by council member Anna Albi, directs the city administration to report back within 30 days.

That presentation is expected at a Public Safety and Quality of Life Committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 6. The Cincinnati Police Department has not disclosed how many plate-reader cameras operate in District 2, which covers Hyde Park, Oakley and Mount Lookout, or what data-sharing agreements govern them.

As we reported in August, more than 1,000 Flock Safety cameras blanket the Cincinnati metro area. Ohio has no law governing their use.

One day after the council vote, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson stepped into the debate. Wilson called Flock cameras among the most valuable law enforcement tools he has seen in his career, according to WLWT. He asked the Ohio General Assembly to make misuse of the cameras a fifth-degree felony, matching the penalty already in place for misusing the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) police database. Officers convicted would lose their badges.

"By and large, Flock is used appropriately and effectively to accomplish a great deal of good," Wilson said in his Sept. 16 statement. "But, like any other high-tech tool that law enforcement depends on, it is only as effective as the person operating it and interpreting the data."

Wilson, appointed in May to replace former Attorney General Dave Yost, said misuse cases are rare. He said the incidents attracting media attention were uncovered by police departments through routine internal audits. He characterized the cameras as identification tools that assist criminal investigations, not surveillance tools, the Scioto Post reported.

The AG's defense comes amid a regional pullback. Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey announced Sept. 3 that all 75 Flock cameras in the county and its townships would be shut down while stronger rules are developed. The county had partnered with Flock since 2022, starting with 25 grant-funded cameras, according to WCPO.

McGuffey said she wants the cameras back soon because they help solve crimes but set no timeline for resuming the contract.

CPD does not contract with Flock. The city uses Axon for body cameras and license plate readers, WVXU reported. But CPD has been testing plate-reader cameras from four vendors, including Flock, for a possible deployment. A CPD spokesman said there is no timetable for a contract decision, according to Local 12.

Both Republican and Democratic state lawmakers have proposed banning Flock cameras outright in Ohio, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Wilson's felony-penalty proposal offers a middle path.

The council's surveillance review is due at the Oct. 6 committee meeting.