Hilliard police operate 15 Flock license plate reader cameras that scanned more than 404,000 vehicles in the past 30 days. The department has not said whether it will review its own oversight practices after Columbus suspended its entire Flock program Sept. 3.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the pause after a USA Today investigation revealed Officer Melvin Tellis had searched a single license plate 272 times over 13 months, between November 2023 and December 2024, according to NBC4. Bryant said the searches were not believed to be part of any investigation.
Tellis has been relieved of duty but not fired.
"What I have learned has shaken my trust. I'm angry, I'm disappointed, and there must be accountability," Ginther said at a Sept. 3 press conference, as reported by Spectrum News.
An internal Columbus police audit earlier in 2026 failed to flag the alleged misuse. Ginther has called for an independent third-party audit to determine whether the problem was isolated or more widespread. Columbus police began physically covering the city's 65 cameras on Sept. 4, WOSU reported. The city's Flock contract expires in December, and multiple Columbus council members have called for ending it.
Columbus is not the only agency pulling back. Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey paused her county's Flock program the same day, citing resident concerns. Worthington Schools canceled its Flock contract Sept. 2, with Superintendent Trent Bowers saying the cameras' limited benefits did not justify the risk to public trust in the district's schools, 10TV reported. Two Reynoldsburg police officers resigned earlier in 2026 over separate alleged Flock misuse.
Dublin, by contrast, said it will keep its cameras running, saying its policies have been reviewed and audited.
What Hilliard's policy requires
Hilliard PD's ALPR policy, approved by Chief Michael Woods and last revised June 1, 2023, requires officers to enter a case or incident number for every search. All logins and queries are stored, including the officer's username, date, time, purpose and plate number searched.
The department's Investigations Bureau Commander serves as the ALPR Coordinator and is required to conduct quarterly audits of system access. The policy prohibits personal use, immigration enforcement, traffic enforcement, harassment, and use based on a protected class.
Hilliard's Flock transparency portal shows the department's 15 cameras detected 404,406 vehicles in the prior 30 days, generated 866 hotlist hits and were searched 114 times. Data is retained for 30 days and then purged. Hotlist hits must be verified by a human before officers act on them.
The portal also shows Hilliard shares its plate data with hundreds of law enforcement agencies across Ohio and neighboring states, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
State legislation could affect Hilliard
The fallout is reaching the Statehouse. State Rep. Levi Dean, a Xenia Republican, announced Thursday, Sept. 3 he is introducing legislation to ban government agencies in Ohio from using Flock cameras. A bipartisan group of four lawmakers also sent a letter to ODOT asking the department to stop issuing permits for plate readers in state rights-of-way, Yahoo News reported.
About 8,000 Flock cameras operate across Ohio communities, according to Spectrum News.
No public statement from Hilliard PD, city council or the previously proposed civilian oversight commission has appeared as of Sept. 9.
