Cleveland approves amended Flock ALPR deal: six months, stricter penalties
Cleveland City Council approved emergency Ordinance 683-2026 on July 15, 2026, amending the City’s agreement with Flock Safety for automated license plate readers (ALPRs). The amendment shortens the contract period to six months, reduces the purchase/maintenance amount to $125,000, and adds tighter contract penalties and privacy/data-sharing rules.
Council meeting highlights say the ordinance passed 9–6, and they describe the amendment as a bridge while the City prepares a request for proposals for a different ALPR vendor.
What Council changed in Ordinance 683-2026
Under the amended terms, the contract authorization language replaces the prior one-year and $250,000 cost cap with: six months and $125,000.
Stricter ALPR data rules: warrant-centered disclosure
The amendment adds clear restrictions on what Flock Safety can do with ALPR data. In plain terms, it:
- Bars sale/sharing for non-law-enforcement purposes: Flock Safety “shall not sell, share, publish or exchange” ALPR data for any purpose other than law enforcement purposes.
- Restricts third-party access/use: Flock Safety “shall not access, use, preserve or disclose” ALPR data to any third-party government authority or other third party except pursuant to a valid search warrant issued by a court of competent jurisdiction on a finding of probable cause and describing with particularity the data to be produced.
- Limits disclosure in response to other legal requests: the amendment says Flock Safety shall not disclose ALPR data in response to subpoenas, administrative requests, informal inquiries, preservation letters, national security letters, or any other legal process that does not constitute a search warrant—unless disclosure is required by applicable law. If disclosed under a warrant, the amendment requires the disclosure be limited to the data identified in the warrant and produced only to the law enforcement authority named in the warrant.
- Requires notice to the City before disclosure: unless legally prohibited, Flock Safety must provide prompt written notice to the Director of Public Safety before disclosure and allow a reasonable opportunity to seek protective relief.
Penalties for privacy or data-sharing violations
The amendment specifies that violating these data-handling provisions would be a material breach of the contract. It also requires the contract to include a financial penalty of up to 25% of the contract amount for violations of privacy and data-sharing provisions.
More public oversight: Transparency Portal and quarterly reporting
Residents looking for concrete accountability are directed to two requirements added by the amendment:
- Transparency Portal: the Division of Police must establish and maintain a public Transparency Portal—an online webpage where the public can access information about the Division’s ALPR use.
- Quarterly reporting: the Safety Director must submit a written report quarterly to the Clerk and the Safety Committee on the use and monitoring of the ALPR system.
Fusion Center sharing is specifically restricted
The amendment also includes a specific prohibition: the Division of Police shall not share data derived or downloaded from the City’s Flock Safety cameras with the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center under the contract authorization in the ordinance.
What residents can do next
- Watch for the Transparency Portal: when it goes live, scan it for how the City describes ALPR use, monitoring, and any disclosed/search-warrant information.
- Look for the first quarterly report: the amendment requires written quarterly reporting to the Clerk and the Safety Committee—those reports should be your best checkable record of what the City says it’s monitoring and how the system is being used.
- Ask pointed questions about third-party sharing: once reports/portal updates are posted, residents can ask whether any external sharing is documented as warrant-based (probable cause + particularized data) and how the City is complying with the Fusion Center restriction.
Emergency timing note: The ordinance text says emergency ordinances can take effect immediately upon passage and Mayor approval only if they receive the required two-thirds vote of all members elected; otherwise, the emergency measure takes effect at the earliest period allowed by law.
Sources
- Cleveland City Council meeting highlights (7/15/2026) — Flock Cameras vote and six-month/$125,000 amendment
- Legistar attachment — 683-2026 Legislative Summary (as amended: six months/$125,000)
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