Out-of-state local law enforcement agencies no longer have direct access to the database of Akron driver information captured by the nearly 150 automatic license plate-reading Flock Safety cameras mounted throughout the city.
For now.
The surprise restriction on how Akron’s cameras are used was announced Monday in a brief statement to Akron City Council’s Public Safety Committee by Chief of Public Safety Craig Morgan. A week earlier, Morgan took to the same lectern to forcefully push back against critics of Flock cameras and defend the city’s participation in the nationwide surveillance network.
“In the interim, as we try to address as many concerns around Flock as possible, we’ve opted the Akron Police Department out of the nationwide search,” Morgan said in a 74-second appearance. “That’s effective today. So no local agencies outside of the State of Ohio will be able to search our network.”
The decision to block searches originating from outside of Ohio comes a week after Signal Akron documented 33.4 million searches of Akron’s records by outside agencies over an 18-month period. At least 8,829 of those searches were explicitly for immigration enforcement by local agencies working side-by-side with U.S. Immigrations & Customs Enforcement (ICE). Most of those overt immigration-related searches came from Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Georgia and also included hundreds or thousands of other jurisdictions’ networks.
Akron’s Flock cameras will still be automatically logging every car that drives by, but only law enforcement agencies in the state can include Akron in their searches. Out-of-state agencies can still ask the Akron Police Department to search records if they believe a criminal suspect is in the city. City officials — at City Council, in a press release and in response to questions from Signal Akron — did not specify how long the “interim” period will be, but the press release said the city “continues to review” how its network is used.
‘Residents have legitimate concerns’ about Akron’s Flock cameras
In a statement, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said his office “listened” to concerns from residents and has been “methodically reviewing the data” to address them.
“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,” Malik’s statement said. “By opting out, we’re closing that door without compromising our ability to use this technology to keep Akron residents safe.”
The reporting also documented that Akron’s network was accessed last year by a Texas sheriff’s office overtly searching for a woman accused of violating the state’s strict anti-abortion laws.
The mayor’s office previously said it discovered in May that it could add a filter that would block searches for immigration and abortion enforcement. But the filter only blocks those searches if the agencies originating them specify what they are looking for.
In the 33.4 million searches that included Akron’s network, millions contained no discernable reason behind them, including by agencies proven to use it for civil immigration and anti-abortion laws.
The single word “investigation” and abbreviations of it were listed as the rationales in 3.2 million searches alone. They don’t indicate who or what was under investigation. Millions more contained nonsensical explanations or seemingly random strings of letters or numbers.
“We recognize that residents have legitimate concerns about how this technology is used and who has access to the information it collects,” said a statement attributed to Morgan. “We’re committed to addressing those concerns through careful review, meaningful safeguards, and transparency. That means being willing to make changes when the data shows us there’s a better way to protect the public.”
The Monday afternoon announcement came as a surprise to some people inside City Hall and the Akron Police Department. Morgan defended the city’s use of the surveillance technology as recently as Oct. 21 at a meeting for Ward 1 residents, according to Akron Documenters Joy Butch and Andrew Lefevre.
Council Member Fran Wilson, who has been advocating from inside City Hall for the city to cancel its contract with ICE, said Morgan’s short announcement in front of the public safety committee was completely unexpected.
In an interview immediately after, Wilson called new restrictions “milquetoast” given that Akron’s cameras will keep logging every vehicle that drives by and the city’s contract with Flock allows the company to keep Akron’s records forever and to give it to any agency at any time.
“The reality of it is that no matter how we change our internal processes, that does not detract from the fact that we have egregious data-sharing practices established hard and firm in our contract,” Wilson said.
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Ohio agencies working with ICE still have access to Akron’s cameras
While the Flock restrictions enacted on Monday may limit future avenues for immigration agents to get at Akron’s records through many of its partners around the country, it doesn’t fully shut them off.
At least eight Ohio law enforcement agencies have formal cooperation agreements with ICE and unfettered access to Akron’s Flock network, according to a cross reference of the Flock records obtained by Signal Akron and an ICE database of local law enforcement agencies participating in an ICE program that delegates immigration authority to state and local law enforcement. They are:
- Butler County Sheriff’s Office
- Clermont County Sheriff’s Office
- Fayetteville Police Department
- Lake County Sheriff’s Office
- Lakemore Police Department
- Village of Utica Police Department
- Warren County Sheriff’s Office
- Geauga County Sheriff’s Office
The agencies, alongside and on behalf of ICE, can circumvent Akron’s filter on immigration searches by simply not logging that they are using it for immigration enforcement.
“ICE recognizes the importance of its relationships with law enforcement partners — including state and local agencies — to carry out its critical mission,” ICE’s website on the program, called 287(g), states.
“Through the delegation of specified immigration officer duties, the program allows ICE to enhance collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our nation’s communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws.”
