Flock Safety camera systems have become a growing topic of conversation across the country as communities weigh the technology’s crime-fighting benefits against concerns about privacy and data sharing.
Several cities have recently paused, canceled, or reconsidered their Flock camera programs amid that ongoing debate.
With that discussion continuing nationwide, Urbana Police Chief Josh Jacobs and Bellefontaine Police Chief Chris Marlow recently joined News Director April King on Sunday’s edition of 98.3 WPKO’s Listen Up! to explain how Flock Safety cameras are used locally, the safeguards in place, and why they believe the technology has become an important investigative tool.
Flock Safety cameras are automated license plate readers that capture a vehicle’s license plate, along with information such as its make, model, color, and other identifying characteristics.
The cameras are designed to help law enforcement identify vehicles connected to criminal investigations and provide real-time alerts when a vehicle associated with a wanted suspect, stolen vehicle, missing person, or other law enforcement hotlist enters the area.
Police say the cameras do not use facial recognition technology and do not collect information about a person’s race, gender or identity.
Instead, officers use the technology to investigate crimes after they occur by searching historical vehicle data or by receiving alerts when a vehicle connected to an active investigation is detected.
Any alert generated by the system must be verified by an officer before enforcement action is taken.
To provide residents with more information about how the technology is used, the Bellefontaine Police Department recently launched a public Flock Safety Transparency Portal.
The portal outlines the department’s policies, explains its privacy protections, and includes usage statistics.
According to the site, Bellefontaine currently operates 15 Flock Safety cameras throughout the city.
During the past 30 days, the cameras recorded more than 132,000 unique license plate reads and generated 1,409 hotlist alerts from national and statewide law enforcement databases.
The portal also explains that license plate data is retained for 30 days, access to the system requires a legitimate law enforcement purpose, and every search is logged for accountability.
Bellefontaine Police Department’s Flock Transparency Portal can be found HERE.
According to the City of Bellefontaine, in 2026 the cost for Flock is $32,500; 2025 was $32,500; 2024 was $29,284.50; 2023 saw $20,000, and 2022 cost $22,000.
