Hilliard’s Flock Safety transparency portal reported zero unique plate reads and zero user search sessions over its rolling 30-day window as of Oct. 21, 2026.
The figures are consistent with the city’s announced pause of its Flock camera program following City Council’s unanimous Sept. 14 vote. The portal continues to list 15 cameras and a 30-day data retention period. Its hotlist-hit count displays “Data Unavailable.”
The portal still lists 15 cameras and a 30-day data retention window. But every activity metric has flatlined.
Council President Emily Cole introduced the Sept. 14 motion directing City Manager Josh Rauch to pause the city's contract with Flock Safety, the company that manufactures the automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. The vote was unanimous, with Councilman Andy Teater absent, as reported by the Columbus Dispatch.
Andrea Litchfield, director of communications for Hilliard, said after the vote that officers had been directed to cease use of the cameras and related data. The city said it was not investigating any misuse by Hilliard Division of Police officers.
Council members said their concern centered on risks of third parties accessing data that Flock Safety, a private company, collects and stores. Cole pointed to problems in Reynoldsburg, where two police officers resigned in August after an internal audit found they had used ALPRs to track vehicles of personal acquaintances, according to the Hilliard Beacon.
"I trust the police department completely to use this technology responsibly (but) anytime a private entity is helping perform government work, I get a little bit concerned," Councilman Greg Betts said at the Sept. 14 meeting, as reported by the Hilliard Beacon.
No timeline has been set for the length of the pause, according to Cole. The council has not publicly announced a date to revisit the program.
Hilliard's pause fits a broader pattern across central Ohio. Columbus suspended its Flock camera use in September. Reynoldsburg canceled its Flock contract. WOSU reported Oct. 8 that grassroots "DeFlock" groups have formed in Upper Arlington and other communities to push back against the surveillance technology.
The transparency portal remains live, and the 15 cameras remain listed as part of the Hilliard Division of Police's inventory. Whether they stay dark depends on council's next move.
