Flock Cameras Under Scrutiny in Warren County as Questions Grow Over Privacy, Data Sharing

WARREN COUNTY, OH -- Questions about who can access information collected by Warren County’s growing network of automated license plate readers reached the county commissioners’ meeting Sept. 2, when a Mason resident urged commissioners to take a closer look at the technology before additional money is approved.

Ian Logan, a Mason resident and candidate for Warren County commissioner, asked commissioners to consider holding a public hearing on the Warren County Sheriff’s Office use of Flock Safety cameras, raising concerns about how information is collected, retained and potentially shared outside the county.

The discussion came as Logan followed up on a May 20 public records request seeking Warren County Telecom contracts and related records from Jan. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2025. Logan told commissioners the request had remained outstanding for nearly 15 weeks and said he was particularly interested in understanding what information county technology systems collect and where that information goes.

Commissioners noted the request covered a large amount of material and suggested narrowing it could speed the county’s response. Logan said his broader concern was accountability for technology purchased with public money.

The conversation then shifted specifically to Flock cameras.

Logan reminded commissioners that he had previously asked them to hold a public discussion about Flock before deciding whether to appropriate money for the county’s next contract period. He described the automated license plate reader system as powerful technology that may be effective for law enforcement but also raises questions involving safety, security and privacy.

Commissioner David Young said the commissioners would discuss the issue with the sheriff, whose office entered into the contract.

Commissioner Tom Grossmann acknowledged that concerns over the cameras are legitimate.

Grossmann said the county system is intended for law enforcement use and that its vehicle data is kept for 30 days before being deleted. He also pointed to both sides of the debate: Flock cameras have helped law enforcement find people suspected of serious crimes and locate missing or endangered people, while misuse of license plate databases and mistaken identifications remain legitimate concerns.

“It’s a legitimate question as to how will Flock cameras be used?” Grossmann said during the meeting.

County system now has 23 cameras

Warren County’s use of Flock is no longer a small pilot program.

The county commissioners unanimously approved an agreement with Flock Group Inc. on April 23, 2024, on behalf of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. The original agreement covered 10 Flock cameras, with a first-year cost of $50,550, an annual recurring cost of $39,000 and a 30-day retention period.

Since then, the system has expanded.

According to the Warren County Sheriff’s Flock transparency portal, the department had 23 cameras as of July 24, 2026.

During one 30-day period, those cameras recorded 448,668 vehicle detections, generated 1,501 hot-list hits and were used in 362 search sessions. The portal lists a 30-day retention period.

The Sheriff's Office says Flock is used for law enforcement purposes and specifically prohibits its use for immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment or intimidation, personal use, or use based solely on a protected characteristic such as race, sex or religion.

The Sheriff's portal also says searches require a valid reason and that records of system access are retained indefinitely.

Cameras stretch across Warren County

The Sheriff's Office is only one government agency using Flock. A Warren County Post review found documented Flock systems in several communities:

*Middletown and Monroe extend into both Warren and Butler counties, so their citywide total should not be interpreted as all their cameras are physically located in Warren County.

Lebanon's Police Department operates 20 Flock readers and retains ALPR information for 30 days, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance. The system was estimated at about $68,000 when city officials considered it in 2024.

Mason was among the earlier Warren County adopters. City Council authorized the purchase and installation of 20 Flock devices in 2022. In 2023, council approved another five-year Flock agreement, allowing spending of up to $100,000 per year for mobile license plate reader devices and support.

Springboro approved a five-year agreement covering 15 locations at approximately $47,500 annually. Police credited the cameras with helping solve crimes both within Springboro and for neighboring jurisdictions.

Franklin officials said the city has 12 cameras at $2,500 each annually and approved locking that rate in through a five-year agreement.

South Lebanon approved a five-year agreement for 10 cameras totaling $128,250, including an annual subscription of $25,000.

Hamilton Township also publicly confirms its use of Flock technology. The township says records are stored for 30 days and are available only to authorized law enforcement personnel for legitimate public safety and criminal justice purposes. Records can be retained beyond 30 days when preserved as evidence in an investigation.

Morrow Police operated eight Flock readers as of September 2025, according to the Atlas of Surveillance.

Meanwhile, Monroe City Council took additional action Aug. 25, 2026, requiring Flock and Axon invoices to be presented to council before payment and limiting the city's automatic license plate reader system to 23 cameras.

What happens when information leaves the system?

That question became the central issue raised by Logan at the commissioners' meeting.

Logan told commissioners he had reviewed Warren County’s Flock contract and was concerned about language he believes permits information to be shared with third parties. He asked whether the county’s 30-day deletion requirement continues to protect information after it has been transferred elsewhere.

“Once that data gets sent somewhere else,” Logan asked commissioners, are there still controls over what happens to it?

He suggested Warren County seek answers directly from Flock about what data has been shared, with whom and whether the same deletion requirements continue to apply after information is transferred.

Logan also told commissioners that Lebanon had recently sent Flock a detailed written request seeking additional information and suggested Warren County consider doing something similar. The Warren County Post has not independently verified the contents of that Lebanon correspondence.

The Sheriff's current Flock transparency portal says Warren County owns its data and that the information is “never sold to 3rd parties.” However, selling information and sharing information with another law enforcement agency are not necessarily the same thing. 

Flock's system is designed so law enforcement agencies can share access and search participating systems beyond their own jurisdiction. Some Flock contracts elsewhere include statewide, nationwide and direct agency-to-agency search features.

The public information reviewed by the Warren County Post does not provide a complete current list identifying every outside agency that can search each Warren County government's Flock information.

Thirty days — but with an exception

The 30-day retention period mentioned by Grossmann is consistent with the Sheriff's published policy and with several other local Flock agreements. But 30 days does not necessarily mean information associated with an investigation disappears on the 31st day.

South Lebanon's agreement, for example, states Flock deletes routine footage on a rolling 30-day basis but allows an agency to extract, download and archive material for evidence or administrative purposes.

Hamilton Township similarly says information is automatically deleted after 30 days unless it has been retained as evidence in a criminal investigation.

That means two separate questions are involved: how long routine Flock information remains searchable in the system, and how long a government or another agency can retain information once it has been downloaded for a case.

Public hearing not yet promised

Commissioners did not commit Sept. 2 to holding the public hearing Logan requested.

Young said commissioners would discuss the issue with the sheriff and later told Logan they would get back to him.

Grossmann, however, agreed that the privacy and accountability questions deserve scrutiny, particularly as reports from around the country have raised concerns about improper use and incorrect identification.

The discussion leaves Warren County with several questions that could be answered before commissioners approve another round of public spending:

• Who outside the Sheriff's Office can currently search Warren County Flock records? 
• Which agencies have direct-sharing agreements? 
• How frequently have outside departments searched Warren County cameras? 
• What happens to information after another agency downloads it? 
• And are those copies still subject to Warren County's 30-day retention rule?

The county's cameras are easy enough to see along the road. What remains considerably harder for the public to see is where the information they collect can travel once a vehicle passes one.

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