CINCINNATI — The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has officially ended its use of Flock Safety cameras after it initially suspended the partnership with the cameras in early September.
The sheriff's office announced the end of the cameras Friday, saying that since the time of the suspension and after further review, the program has been fully terminated.
Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that capture vehicle details and then store the information in the cloud for law enforcement use. The company said its technology is used by thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide.
"We took these actions after residents raised significant concerns about who outside of Hamilton County could access locally collected data, how that information could be shared and what level of control our office had over those processes," the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office reiterated that internal audits confirmed that there was no misuse of the system within Hamilton County.
Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey first announced the suspension of Flock cameras on Sept. 3. McGuffey said in September that she wanted several changes from Flock, including clear guidelines on who the information obtained from vehicles is shared with, where it goes when it's collected and more.
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"I know what we personally do with it, but it connects, it connects to a lot of technology and so forth, and I want the company to be prepared to tell citizens what that is and where it's going," McGuffey said.
McGuffey initially said that she wanted to get the cameras back up soon because she believes they're integral in solving crimes, but that she first wanted citizens to be heard and guardrails to be put in place.
On Friday, the sheriff's office once again reiterated how the automatic license plate recognition cameras were useful.
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"Although ALPR technology has contributed to important investigative outcomes, the sheriff's office will only use tools that meet our standards for privacy, transparency and full local control over sensitive information," the sheriff's office said.
Hamilton County had partnered with Flock since 2022 after a grant helped fund 25 cameras, according to Major Tony Orue. The county had 75 total Flock cameras after working with individual townships and municipalities within Hamilton County.
The sheriff's office said it will continue to keep residents informed about any future use of the technology.
Hamilton County is now one of many communities in the Tri-State who have ended their partnership with Flock Safety.
Fort Thomas Mayor Andy Ellison announced in August that the city will discontinue its use of Flock cameras, citing a shift in the network advantage that made the system valuable and acknowledging residents' privacy concerns. The city of Newport also removed the automated license plate reader technology in July.
Residents in Hamilton gathered to protest Flock cameras in August, and Milford residents have also called for the removal of the cameras despite the city's police chief defending them.
