Columbus is pausing its use of Flock license plate cameras after a Columbus police officer allegedly used the system hundreds of times to track a single vehicle for reasons unrelated to law enforcement.
Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the suspension Thursday, saying the allegations had shaken his trust in the technology and that the city needs to determine whether the officer’s alleged misuse was an isolated incident.
“What I have learned has shaken my trust. I’m angry. I’m disappointed,” Ginther said during a news conference. “There must be accountability.”
The officer, identified as Melvin Tellis, has been relieved of duty while the investigation continues. A USA Today database found Tellis searched the same license plate 272 times between November 2023 and December 2024. Police Chief Elaine Bryant said the searches do not appear to have been related to a law enforcement investigation, though the department is still working to confirm the details.
Tellis was assigned to the Columbus Police Division’s Executive Protection Unit, which provides security for City Council members. Council leadership said it first learned of the allegations Tuesday evening, and Bryant provided additional information the following day.
Ginther said an independent third party will conduct a full audit of the city’s Flock system, including a review of officer searches to determine whether there have been other instances of potential misuse.
On September 4, a day after the suspension was announced, Columbus police released the revised policy that will govern the cameras. Directive 11.08, “Sensor Technologies,” takes effect September 30 and covers license plate readers, neighborhood safety cameras and gunshot detection. It puts the seven-day limit on plate reader data in writing, holds neighborhood safety camera footage to 14 days and keeps gunshot detection recordings indefinitely, with anything flagged as evidence in an investigation held separately. Officers may not stop or detain anyone solely because a plate reader generates an alert. They have to verify the vehicle actually matches and establish an independent, lawful reason for the stop.
The directive also bars using sensor technology to gather information based solely on First Amendment protected activity, to restrict access to or gather information about reproductive care, to harass or intimidate individuals or groups, or to target anyone based only on race, gender, religion, political affiliation, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or another class protected by law. On the immigration question raised by the earlier audit, it prohibits using the systems to detect or apprehend people based on suspected immigration status unless a judicial warrant exists, a criminal violation was reported or an arrest was made. Nobody in the division, sworn or civilian, can log into the systems while off duty. Adding a plate to a hotlist takes supervisor approval and reasonable suspicion that the vehicle is tied to a criminal offense or an urgent public safety situation, with the expiration set at 14 days by default unless there is justification to extend it. Supervisors have to review a weekly report of every plate reader search their officers run, and each March the division owes the chief an audit report covering the previous year, which goes on its public website once the chief signs off.
The pause comes after months of growing scrutiny over how Flock cameras are used and who can access the data they collect.
Columbus currently has 65 Flock cameras throughout the city. Police have defended the technology as an important investigative tool, saying it has helped locate missing people and solve violent crimes. Bryant has said Flock was involved in about 60% of recent homicide arrests.
At the same time, privacy advocates, community activists, and some City Council members have raised concerns about surveillance, data sharing, and the possibility of the technology being misused.
A Columbus police audit earlier this year found more than 15,000 potentially immigration-related searches within the Columbus Flock network since 2024. The majority involved searches by agencies outside Columbus that had access to the city’s data.
Ginther has responded by adding restrictions, including plans to reduce data retention from 30 days to seven, require a police supervisor to access the system and limit outside agencies’ access without permission. He also canceled plans to install 11 additional cameras.
Now, the city is putting the entire system on hold. So what happens next?
City Council President Shannon Hardin said he supports the pause and independent review, noting that Council has already been discussing legislation to regulate Flock.
“I believe Flock has lost that trust,” Hardin said.
The timing could make those discussions especially important. Columbus’ contract with Flock expires in December, leaving the city with a decision about whether to continue using the technology.
For now, Ginther hasn’t called for Flock to be permanently removed. He has continued to argue that public safety and civil liberties can coexist with stronger safeguards.
