Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey shut down all 75 Flock license plate reader cameras on Sept. 3. She cited privacy concerns and a need for clear rules on how the data is shared.

The pause affects cameras in corridor communities. Evendale began installing 14 Flock cameras and a mobile unit in February 2023, according to village committee minutes. Sharonville and Springdale were among the first Hamilton County communities to adopt the technology in 2022, separate Evendale finance committee minutes show.

"As of today, our Flock cameras will no longer be recording any license plates, we're shutting down our access to any of the information that Flock cameras are providing," McGuffey said at a Sept. 3 press conference, as reported by WLWT.

McGuffey called the move a pause, not a cancellation of the county's contract with Flock Safety. She said the cameras would be cloaked or removed at no extra cost to the county. Payments to Flock Safety are also on hold, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

The county first partnered with Flock in 2022 after a grant funded 25 cameras, according to Major Tony Orue of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. The network grew to 75 as the office worked with townships and municipalities. While the county controls all the cameras, local governments pay the county back for units in their area, Orue told WCPO.

McGuffey said no deputies have misused the technology. She wants Flock to provide clear guidelines on who gets access to the data and where it goes after collection. She set no timeline for restoring the cameras but said she believes they help solve crimes and wants them back once guardrails are in place.

The decision follows at least eight communities ending their Flock programs over the summer of 2026. Newport, Independence, Fort Mitchell, Erlanger, Fort Thomas, Edgewood, Pierce Township and Oxford all dropped the technology, according to WLWT. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther also paused that city's Flock cameras after the city's Department of Public Safety said an officer misused the technology, the Enquirer reported.

Flock Safety responded to the broader backlash by cutting its default data retention period from 30 days to seven and making misuse detection mandatory for all customers.

State lawmakers are moving on regulation. The Journal-News reported that State Rep. Levi Dean, R-Xenia, plans to introduce a bill. State Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp., is working on a separate bill with Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp. The Ohio legislature is on recess and unlikely to reconvene before the November election.

A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers also sent a letter to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) asking it to stop issuing new permits for license plate readers in state rights of way, WYSO Public Radio reported. ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning said the agency received the letter and is reviewing it.

At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced H.R. 10221 on Sept. 2. The bill, called the Flock-Off Act, would block federal funds from being used to buy, install or operate automated license plate readers, the Courier Journal reported.

No corridor police departments have commented publicly on how the pause affects their operations. Residents with questions can contact the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office or their local police department's non-emergency line.