Akron blocks direct out-of-state Flock searches; Ohio route may remain

Akron has removed its Flock camera network from direct nationwide searches by out-of-state law-enforcement agencies, but an Ohio-agency route to the system remains. Chief of Public Safety Craig Morgan told City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Oct. 26, 2026, that the opt-out took effect immediately.

The change limits how out-of-state agencies can search the network directly; it does not stop Akron’s cameras from recording passing vehicles or end the city’s local use of the system. Akron police and Ohio law-enforcement agencies retain search access. An out-of-state agency may request access or data from Akron police if it has a legitimate investigative need and reason to believe a suspect is in Akron.

Ohio agencies leave a separate access route i

Signal Akron reported on Oct. 27 that at least eight Ohio law-enforcement agencies with formal ICE 287(g) agreements have access to Akron’s network. The report says those agencies can access it on ICE’s behalf and may get around the city’s immigration-search filter if they do not record immigration enforcement as the search purpose. That is a potential route through Ohio agencies, distinct from direct nationwide searches by out-of-state agencies; the report does not establish that the agencies actually used Akron data for immigration enforcement.

In May 2026, the city disabled outside-agency search categories related to immigration enforcement and women’s reproductive health. The city’s review found that the vast majority of identifiable outside-agency searches were broad nationwide searches, rather than targeted requests tied to specific criminal activity.

Mayor Shammas Malik said those broad searches offered little to no public-safety benefit to Akron residents and could enable uses inconsistent with city policies and community values. Residents have raised privacy, immigration-enforcement and reproductive-rights concerns. Council Member Fran Wilson criticized the restriction as inadequate because the cameras continue recording vehicles.

The restriction has no announced end date i

The city says its review of Flock use and system logs is continuing and has described the restriction as interim, but it has not specified how long it will last. Ideastream reported that Akron’s Flock contract runs through 2028; that contract term is not an announced end date for the search restriction.