Columbus City Council Sets Aug. 10 Hearing on Flock Audit and Data Sharing

Columbus City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing Monday, August 10, on the Columbus Division of Police audit of its Flock Safety license-plate-reader system, putting the city’s data-sharing practices and privacy safeguards under public review.

The hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Columbus City Hall, 90 W. Broad St. Councilmember Emmanuel Remy is expected to lead the review. Flock Safety representatives have been invited to attend and answer questions, and the hearing is expected to include public testimony.

What the audit found

CPD’s audit covered approximately 19.6 million searches of the city’s Flock system since November 2023. The audit identified up to 15,577 searches with reasons that were categorized as possibly immigration-related.

That number does not establish that 15,577 searches were confirmed immigration-enforcement actions. The figure includes searches by agencies outside Columbus and is based on the reasons recorded in the system.

WOSU Public Media reported that 20 of the possible immigration-related searches originated from Columbus police. CPD officials have separately focused on one officer who searched the system six times using a reason labeled “ICE.” The department has characterized locally relevant searches as nearly nonexistent, but that is CPD’s interpretation of the audit rather than an uncontested finding.

ICE access is a central distinction

According to CPD’s audit summary, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not directly search Columbus data. The audit did identify more than 700 searches by U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, along with about 600 searches by agencies that work with ICE through 287(g) agreements.

Not every Homeland Security-related search was necessarily immigration-related. CPD has said some searches may involve criminal investigations such as human trafficking, abductions and other transnational crimes.

The audit therefore raises questions about who can access Columbus license-plate-reader data and how those searches are controlled. It does not show that every search carrying an immigration-related label involved immigration enforcement.

Columbus has tightened some access

CPD enabled search filters in December intended to exclude Columbus devices from searches related to immigration enforcement or reproductive care. In April, the division asked Flock to create an opt-out for Columbus data searches by agencies with 287(g) agreements. CPD also withdrew from national data sharing.

Mayor Andrew Ginther later ordered Columbus police to stop statewide sharing of Flock camera data. The mayor said Columbus resources should not be used for the possible purpose of immigration enforcement.

CPD has said it would stop using Flock if City Council directed it to do so, while warning that ending the system could reduce its ability to solve crimes. That position is part of the debate before the hearing; it is not a council decision to cancel the contract.

What residents should watch August 10

The hearing is scheduled oversight, not a final decision on whether Columbus will retain, change or cancel its Flock agreement. Council members may question CPD and Flock about search labels, outside-agency access, 287(g) restrictions, audit limitations and additional safeguards.

Residents who want to testify should check the council’s current speaker procedures. City rules generally require speaker slips or written testimony by 3 p.m. on the day of a meeting, although rules for committee meetings and public hearings are subject to the committee chair.

The hearing is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, August 10, at Columbus City Hall, 90 W. Broad St. Residents should watch for any council proposal, additional audit request, policy change or contract action that follows the review.

Sources

• Columbus Government Television schedule
• WOSU Public Media audit coverage
• Columbus City Council testimony rules
• Public Hearing on Flock Cameras