Hilliard City Council voted unanimously to pause the city's contract with Flock Safety, shutting down 15 license plate reader cameras that logged more than 404,000 plate reads over 30 days, ABC6 reported.

The council directed the city manager to suspend the program, according to a city spokesperson's statement released Monday, Sept. 14. No timeline has been set. The city has not said how long the pause will last or when a final decision will come, WBNS reported.

Hilliard joins Columbus and Reynoldsburg in stepping back from the automatic license plate reader technology. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther paused that city's program Sept. 3. Reynoldsburg Mayor Joe Begeny ended his city's 32-camera system Sept. 9, citing concerns the system tracked data beyond what the contract allowed.

A city spokesperson said there is no investigation into officer misuse of the Flock network. The council framed the pause as a broader question about whether the surveillance technology belongs in Hilliard at all. The city acknowledged the cameras have been used for legitimate law enforcement purposes and have helped solve crimes.

Before the shutdown, Hilliard's 15 cameras detected 404,406 plate reads over 30 days, triggered 866 hotlist hits and were searched 114 times by officers, according to Flock Safety's transparency portal. The city's policy, approved by Police Chief Michael Woods and last revised in June 2023, required 30-day data retention and banned the cameras from being used for immigration enforcement, traffic stops or personal use.

Not every Central Ohio city sees the technology the same way. In Whitehall, Police Chief Mike Crispen told WBNS that Flock cameras have helped recover 707 stolen vehicles and 149 guns since 2023. "When we implemented this system into our city, the amount of stolen vehicle recoveries was astronomical," Crispen said.

Crispen acknowledged the decision rests with residents. He told WBNS that Whitehall will continue using Flock as long as citizens see value in the system.

The debate has reached the Ohio Statehouse. State Rep. Levi Dean, a Xenia Republican, announced legislation on Sept. 3 that would require law enforcement to obtain a search warrant before using license plate reader technology and would ban the sale of surveillance data. Four state representatives from both parties sent a letter to the Ohio Department of Transportation asking it to halt new Flock camera permits, NBC4 reported.

Five of Hilliard's Flock cameras were vandalized before the pause, according to public records obtained by WBNS in August.

The council has not announced a next meeting date or public comment period on the program's future.