Columbus City Council: End Flock Contract

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The background:

A rapidly growing surveillance company called Flock Safety is building a form of mass surveillance unlike any seen before in American life. The company effectively enlists its customers into a giant centralized government surveillance network. Using Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), Flock and other companies like Axon and Motorola Solutions have tracked the comings and goings of countless Americans.

In Ohio, Flock in particular has partnerships with dozens of local law enforcement agencies. The ACLU of Ohio is working to expose and end these contracts to protect against government spying.

The impact:

Right now, we can make our voices heard here in Columbus as City Council deliberates the future of Columbus Police’s contract with Flock for its ALPRs, following Mayor Andy Ginther’s decision to pause the contract. The mayor’s pause was precipitated by a finding that a Columbus Police officer had searched the system 270 times for the same plate number from November 2023 to December 2024.

Prior to that, reporting had revealed that Columbus’s Flock data had been searched 15,577 times for possible immigration enforcement purposes, in violation of city policy. That reporting led to a hearing of the Columbus City Council Public Safety and Justice Committee, at which ACLU of Ohio Legislative Director Gary Daniels and dozens of other Columbus residents testified in opposition to the city’s use of ALPRs.

Tell Columbus City Council to end the city’s $228,000 contract with Flock and invest in programs that achieve public safety, without exposing its residents to intrusive, warrantless surveillance.

The recipient:

Columbus City Council Members

Take Action

The background:

In Ohio, Flock in particular has partnerships with dozens of local law enforcement agencies. The ACLU of Ohio is working to expose and end these contracts to protect against government spying.

The impact:

The recipient:

Columbus City Council Members

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Your Message

Subject Reject Dragnet Surveillance: Cancel Flock Contract

Dear Columbus City Official

I am calling on you to protect the privacy rights of Columbus residents by canceling the city’s contract with Flock Safety and prohibiting the use of automatic license plate readers moving forward.

Message Body

I strongly urge you to opt-out of dragnet surveillance initiatives by cancelling the city’s contract with Flock Safety and prohibiting the use of automatic license plate readers altogether.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Columbus City Council: End Flock Contract

Most recent signers:

The background:

The impact:

The recipient:

Take Action

The background:

The impact:

The recipient:

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