Thirty automated license plate readers are now scanning Boone County roads, part of a 101-device surveillance network confirmed across Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties.

A public records investigation by LINK nky published Aug. 4, revealed the full scope of Flock Safety camera deployments in Northern Kentucky for the first time. The devices, mounted on poles at fixed angles, photograph every passing vehicle's license plate, make, model and color, converting that information into a searchable database available to law enforcement.

The Boone County Sheriff's Office holds the largest single-agency contract at $198,000 for 20 cameras. Florence Police Department operates 10 devices under a $69,100 contract.

What the cameras do

The devices scan plates around the clock. Data is stored for 30 days, according to Flock Safety's public statements. Law enforcement can search the database to track a vehicle's movements, and in some cases outside agencies can access the information too.

Kenton County Police Chief Spike Jones told the Kenton County Fiscal Court in July that the technology helped bust a stolen vehicle ring connected to organized retail crime in Northern Kentucky. He also cited a missing juvenile case solved in Ohio that led to an FBI human trafficking investigation.

Privacy debate

Not everyone sees the cameras as a net positive. Newport ended its 16-camera Flock pilot on July 14 after scores of residents spoke out against the technology at a July 8 town hall.

Angela Cooper of the ACLU of Kentucky said in February, responding to a Flock expansion in Hardin County, that the cameras capture data and track residents regardless of whether they are involved in criminal activity. Cooper raised concerns about data being shared with agencies that were not originally intended as users of the system. The ACLU has launched a national "Get the Flock Out" campaign, and more than 55 localities across the country have ended Flock contracts in the past year.

Kenton County Commissioner Joe Nienaber voiced the tension at a public meeting in July: "I struggle with it. I want our kids to be safe at our parks but I also worry about privacy rights."

Federal legislation looms

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, whose 4th Congressional District includes all three counties, announced July 25 that he plans to introduce a bill to withhold federal funding from police departments that use Flock cameras. "You can't just spy on everybody," Massie told the Cincinnati Enquirer on July 27, as we reported July 26.

The Kenton County Fiscal Court has not yet voted on a request to add six more cameras at county parks and the jail parking lot.

What's next for residents

In neighboring Kenton County, the Independence City Council will host a public town hall on Aug. 17, to discuss its Flock camera program. The meeting is open to all residents.

Several Boone County-area departments, including Erlanger Police, do not have Flock contracts. The specific locations of the Boone County Sheriff's 20 cameras have not been publicly disclosed.