ATHENS, Ohio — Following community concern, the City of Athens Police Department announced this week that it will not renew its contract with Flock Safety for automated license plate reader cameras, aka ALPRs.
Athens Police Department currently uses six Flock cameras. It first signed a one-year contract with Flock four cameras, costing $13,100 total. In 2025, it signed a two-year contract with Flock for two more cameras at $12,300. That contract expires in February 2027.
Athens Police Department’s choice to not renew its contract will not eliminate ALPR cameras in Athens County. Athens County Sheriff’s Office is in contract with Flock until June 2028, and utilizes 10 cameras.
Athens Police Chief Nick Magruder told the Independent Wednesday that he has notified Flock that the city will not renew its contract. The department will continue to use Flock through the length of the contract. Magruder wrote in an email that Flock will retrieve its cameras after the contract expires.
“I just want to make sure people understand that these were useful tools,” Magruder said in an interview. “But based on just the climate behind it and some of the conversations we’ve had internally and externally, I think it’s just the position we want to go.”
Additionally, the Athens Police Department does not plan to use automated license plate reader technology in the future, he said.
“We are not going to get into the ALPR business again,” Magruder said.
At Athens City Council’s meeting Monday, Oct. 5, Mayor Steve Patterson read Magruder’s recommendation that the city not renew its contract with Flock. Magruder provided a copy of his statement to the Independent via email:
The City of Athens has chosen to discontinue its Flock agreement following community discussions and ongoing public concerns regarding the use of the system. During the term of the agreement, Flock was a useful investigative tool in many situations and provided officers with information that assisted in solving and investigating cases for the Athens Police Department. Furthermore, the Department was very strict with settings on information sharing and access, and enforced all policy on proper use. The Department leadership, along with department members, jointly reviewed the system’s overall use and value in law enforcement, while also considering local public concerns and the wider national discussion regarding its continued use. After weighing all these factors, we determined that Flock’s law enforcement value was limited in relation to its potential detriment. The Department leadership subsequently recommended to the city administration to discontinue the agreement, which we intend to do.
“I support the police chief and the police department’s decision to do this, and therefore you will see … later on this month and into the next month that the Flock agreement will not be part of that particular budget,” Patterson said during the council meeting on Monday.
During summer, Strong Towns Athens and the Americans For Civil Liberties Union of Ohio hosted a forum that discussed local law enforcement’s uses of Flock. Magruder attended the event.
Law enforcement agencies’ use of Flock has prompted privacy concerns in communities nationwide. In Ohio, city and county law enforcement agencies, such as the Columbus Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, have paused their use of Flock cameras. Columbus issued a temporary pause amid allegations of software misuse. Ohio legislatures have also introduced legislation to regulate ALPRs in the state.
Two congressional representatives, including one from Ohio, announced this week that they are seeking answers from the federal government about a May proposal from the FBI seeking to purchase ALPR systems, such as Flock.
Larry Di Giovanni contributed to this reporting.
