Updated

Updated · WLWT Cincinnati · Aug 20

Oxford Council Ends 14-Camera Flock Program in 6-1 Vote as Surveillance Concerns Override Crime Benefits

Updated

Updated · WLWT Cincinnati · Aug 20

Oxford Council Ends 14-Camera Flock Program in 6-1 Vote as Surveillance Concerns Override Crime Benefits

Q: Why is an Ohio city paying for a surveillance system until 2027 that it just voted to completely shut down?

Oxford is still paying because ending the program does not void the city’s existing contract with Flock Safety. According to city officials and reporting on the council debate, Oxford remains financially responsible until the agreement expires in February 2027, even though the council voted to stop using the cameras now. The city’s contract was approved in February 2024 as a multiyear deal for about 14 cameras. The arrangement included upfront equipment and setup costs and recurring annual fees. Police Chief John Jones told city bodies before the vote that, if council chose termination, Oxford would still owe the remaining contract payments through the end date. In practice, that means the city can deactivate the cameras or cover them, but it may still have to keep paying unless Flock agrees to an early exit. That is why the vote was framed as ending the program operationally, not erasing the legal obligation. Council members decided the privacy, surveillance and data-sharing concerns outweighed the cameras’ investigative value, even though police said the system had helped in theft, crash and suspect-tracking cases. So the short answer is that Oxford shut down the program for policy reasons, but the contract appears not to include a no-cost early termination option. Unless the city renegotiates with Flock, taxpayers remain on the hook until 2027.

3 articles · Updated · WLWT Cincinnati · Aug 20

Oxford City Council voted 6-1 on Wednesday night to terminate the city’s contract with Flock, shutting down about 14 license plate reader cameras.
Councilor Bill Snavely said the decision reflected agreement that residents trust local police and acknowledge the cameras help solve crimes, but oppose constant surveillance and distrust how other jurisdictions might use Oxford’s data.
Flock cameras had aided investigations, including eventual suspect arrests in Oxford, while nearby West Chester used the system to track suspects in a multistate burglary case that also led to arrests.
Oxford is the first jurisdiction in southwest Ohio—and the first city in Ohio—reported to end the program, joining Fort Mitchell, Newport and Erlanger in the Greater Cincinnati region.