Madeira's Law & Safety Committee takes up the city's Flock camera program Wednesday, Sept. 16, as a gubernatorial candidate calls for a statewide ban and Hamilton County's cameras remain paused.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton called for a statewide ban on Flock cameras on Sept. 12, citing growing "reports of misuse," WLWT reported. Acton, Ohio's former director of public health, said the cameras "pose serious risks to our privacy and are too easily abused."

Her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, has raised concerns about surveillance but stopped short of calling for a ban. At a campaign stop in Lima, as reported by the Ohio Capital Journal on Sept. 10, Ramaswamy said Flock cameras should never be used "to spy on an individual, when they're in a private space, and a private space includes not just your home but also your car."

Madeira authorized a Flock contract through Resolution 88-25 in a Dec. 8, 2025, vote. But Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey paused all 75 of the county's Flock cameras on Sept. 3, citing data-sharing concerns.

"It's serious enough that we are pausing until we have stronger guardrails in place," McGuffey said at a Sept. 3 press conference, as WLWT reported. She said the pause was not prompted by misuse within her department.

The county began its Flock network in 2022 with 25 grant-funded cameras. It grew to 75, with townships and villages reimbursing the sheriff's office. Each camera costs about $3,000 per year, putting the full network's annual price tag at roughly $225,000, according to WLWT.

Flock cameras are automated license plate readers that capture vehicle details and store the data in the cloud for law enforcement. The company says thousands of agencies nationwide use its technology.

A police officer in Kentucky and another in Indiana were arrested in August after allegedly accessing Flock data thousands of times to track people they knew, WLWT reported. Columbus paused its own Flock system on Sept. 3 while investigating an officer's potential misuse.

A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers added to the scrutiny on Sept. 2. Reps. Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood), Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland), Levi Dean (R-Xenia) and Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County) asked the Ohio Department of Transportation to stop issuing new permits for license plate readers in state rights of way, WYSO reported. The legislature will not return to session until after the November election.

Flock cameras have drawn local scrutiny in Madeira before. In January 2024, resident Stephen Arthur told City Council he was disappointed by the lack of communication before a camera was installed near his driveway on Windridge Drive. At an April 2024 meeting, Police Chief David Schaefer shared Flock success stories, and Mayor Moormann called the results "an example of clear and decisive evidence." The committee also discussed Flock cameras at a July 28 meeting.

Wednesday's committee meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the Madeira Municipal Building, 7141 Miami Ave. Crosswalks are also on the agenda. Residents with questions can contact City Manager Michael Norton-Smith at 513-561-7228.