Reynoldsburg mayor addresses decision to end use of Flock camera system

Our Take

Credit to WBNS 10TV for getting Mayor Joe Begeny on camera to explain why Reynoldsburg is walking away from Flock Safety. The headline detail here isn't just that a city canceled a surveillance contract — it's why. A technical error reportedly violated the city's own agreement with Flock, which means the system wasn't operating the way officials were told it would. That's the kind of thing that should worry every city council currently rubber-stamping these deals on the promise of flawless, audit-proof technology.

We hear a lot about ALPR networks as if they're infallible crime-fighting tools, but contracts exist precisely because vendors don't always deliver what they promise, and errors happen in a system that's quietly logging the movements of every driver who passes a camera. When a city official admits the company fell short of its own contractual terms, that's not a minor technical footnote — it's a crack in the sales pitch that gets handed to every other town considering this rollout.

Reynoldsburg's reversal is a reminder that these systems aren't permanent fixtures once installed — they can be challenged, audited, and removed when they don't hold up. If you want to see whether Flock or similar ALPR cameras are already watching your own streets, check our camera map, and if you'd rather push your city toward the exit like Reynoldsburg did, our take-action page has the tools to get started.