Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey is shutting down all 75 Flock license-plate reader cameras across the county and its townships, including units in Sycamore Township.

McGuffey announced the pause at a news conference Thursday, Sept. 3, WLWT reported. The cameras will stop recording license plates. The sheriff's office will also cut off its access to data Flock provides.

"It's serious enough that we are pausing until we have stronger guardrails in place," McGuffey said.

Hamilton County joins at least half a dozen Greater Cincinnati agencies that have ended or paused their Flock programs this summer. Newport, Independence, Fort Mitchell, Erlanger, Fort Thomas, Edgewood, Pierce Township and Oxford all announced an end to their camera programs over growing privacy concerns.

McGuffey described the decision as a pause, not a permanent shutdown. She said the technology has been useful and that no deputy in her department has misused it. But residents raised what she called fair concerns about how the data is used.

The sheriff's office plans to cloak or remove the cameras under its existing contract at no extra cost to the county. McGuffey said she is looking to Flock and the Ohio legislature to create parameters around the technology that put safety first.

What it means for Sycamore Township

The pause directly affects Sycamore Township. The sheriff's office patrols the township under contract, so its Flock cameras fall under McGuffey's order. How many of the 75 cameras sit in the township has not been disclosed.

Madeira, which runs its own police department, operates Flock cameras under a separate city contract and is not directly affected by the sheriff's decision. Madeira City Council approved a two-year Flock renewal on Jan. 26 by a 5-2 vote. That contract costs roughly $51,000 a year plus $10,950 for three additional cameras.

Madeira's Law and Safety Committee discussed Flock cameras at a July 28 meeting, according to committee records. No outcome from that discussion appears in available public records. The next Madeira City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.

Federal bill and Flock policy changes

Flock says its technology is used by more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide and supported about 1 million investigations last year. Amid the backlash, the company reduced its default data retention period from 30 days to seven and made misuse detection mandatory for all customers.

On the federal level, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced what he calls the "Flock-Off Act," which would block federal funds from being used to buy, install, operate or upgrade automated license-plate readers.

Sycamore Township residents can contact the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office for updates on the camera pause. Madeira residents who want to weigh in on Flock camera use can attend the Sept. 14 council meeting at 7:30 p.m.