Ohio community begins questioning if Flock camera effectiveness justifies cost
The short version: Colerain Township residents are asking the question every community eventually asks: are Flock cameras worth what they cost, in dollars and privacy?
Our Take
Local 12's reporting out of Colerain Township captures a shift we're seeing nationwide: the honeymoon phase with Flock Safety wears off once residents start doing the math. A network of license plate readers isn't free, isn't invisible, and isn't accountable to a vote the way a new stop sign or sidewalk would be. When a community starts asking whether the price tag matches the results, that's a healthy sign of democracy working, not a knock on public safety.
What usually gets lost in these local budget debates is the bigger picture: every camera added to a township's network is also a node in a national tracking system that Flock operates with minimal oversight, sharing data across jurisdictions in ways most residents never explicitly agreed to. Cost-effectiveness is the easy question to ask at a town hall. Whether you're comfortable with a private company logging your movements every time you drive to church, work, or a protest is the harder one that often doesn't make it onto the agenda.
Credit to Local 12 for giving voice to residents willing to push back on the assumption that more cameras automatically means more safety. If you want to see how many of these systems are already running in your own neighborhood, check our map, and if Colerain's debate sounds familiar, our take-action resources can help you bring the same questions to your own local council.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of LOCAL 12, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.