External law enforcement agencies will no longer be able to conduct nationwide searches of Akron's Flock camera network under a new city policy that takes immediate effect.
The city is conducting an ongoing review of its Flock system logs and its use of the license plate readers. Residents have raised concerns about privacy, immigration enforcement and reproductive rights investigations involving data available through the Flock system.
Removing Akron's data from the nationwide network will prevent searches by out-of-state agencies going forward, but will not affect the Akron Police Department's use of the system for public safety purposes. Akron police and agencies within Ohio will still have access to searches.
Out-of-state agencies "with a legitimate investigative need and reason to believe a suspect is in Akron" will need to request Flock access or data directly from Akron police, the city said in a news release issued Monday.
The city's statement said it determined that the "vast majority" of searches by outside law enforcement agencies were part of nationwide blanket searches rather than targeted requests related to specific criminal activity.
"What we've found is that these broad, nationwide searches provide little to no public safety benefit to Akron residents, but they potentially create opportunities for our camera data to be accessed for purposes that do not align with our policies or our community's values. By opting out, we're closing that door without compromising our ability to use this technology to keep Akron residents safe," Mayor Shammas Malik said in the statement.
The city previously removed searches related to immigration enforcement and reproductive health in May. Malik said the new policy builds on those restrictions by removing Akron's camera network from nationwide searches entirely.
City council has debated Akron's use of Flock cameras in recent meetings, including their constitutionality and their placement within the community. Councilmember Fran Wilson, who represents Ward 1, suggested suspending the Flock camera program during a council meeting last week.
That was also when Akron Chief of Public Safety Craig Morgan said that the cameras do not have facial recognition enabled and identified three instances in which the cameras helped solve crimes or served the community.
Some council members questioned the placement of the cameras, pointing out the areas with the most cameras appear to be poor white, Black and brown communities. Morgan said the city works with data analysts to address violent crime, which helps determine camera placement.
Akron’s contract with Flock Safety runs through 2028.