An Ironton City Council member is drafting legislation that would prohibit the city from contracting with companies that provide mass surveillance camera systems, citing concerns over privacy, data security and the potential for wrongful accusations.
Councilman Troy Scott said he began researching automated license plate reader technology, commonly known as Flock cameras, after seeing more communities adopt the systems in recent months. The proposed ordinance would prevent the city from entering into agreements with companies that operate mass surveillance camera networks, though it would not apply to private businesses.
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“I started looking into the technology, and it just seemed like something we should preemptively get in front of and have some discussions about before anything was considered contractually with the city,” Scott said.
Scott said the measure is intended to safeguard residents’ privacy rather than limit traditional law enforcement tools.
“It’s about the privacy of our citizens. It’s about making sure their data is safe. It’s about making sure they’re not accused of crimes that they didn’t commit,” he said. “The pros definitely do not outweigh the cons.”
According to Scott, the draft ordinance was discussed during a recent strategic planning meeting attended by Mayor Sam Cramblit, Police Chief Pam Wagner and other members of the city council. He said feedback from city officials helped shape the proposal, which is expected to receive its first reading at the next council meeting scheduled for July 23.
Scott expressed confidence that the measure has broad support among city leaders.
“Everyone had some great input on the draft of legislation. We all worked together. Everybody had some great questions and some great suggestions,” he said. “Working collectively as a whole and with the support of the mayor and the chief of police, I feel very confident that we’ll be looking at passing it next week.”
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The proposal comes amid growing debate over Flock Safety’s automated license plate reader technology across Ohio and neighboring states. Privacy advocates have questioned how long vehicle data is retained, who can access it and whether the systems could be used for broad surveillance beyond criminal investigations.
The debate has intensified in recent weeks. Cleveland city officials are considering extending their contract with Flock Safety while adding stronger privacy safeguards, whereas Ironton is moving in the opposite direction by seeking to prohibit such agreements altogether.
If approved, the ordinance would make Ironton one of the first Ohio municipalities to explicitly ban contracts with companies offering mass automated license plate reader systems.