The same license plate reader cameras that scan 30 Boone County roads faced a wall of opposition Aug. 18, in neighboring Independence, where not a single resident spoke in favor of the technology at a specially called city council meeting.
Independence council member Tom Brinker told the crowd he stands against the cameras.
The council took no action.
The two-hour meeting adds Independence to a growing list of Northern Kentucky communities pushing back against Flock Safety's automated license plate readers. Newport ended its 16-camera pilot in July after resident outcry. Hartford dropped its Flock contract the same day as the Independence meeting. Burlington state Rep. T.J. Roberts, a Republican, is drafting a 2027 bill to regulate the technology statewide.
Boone County residents have direct stakes in the debate. Twenty cameras operate under the Boone County Sheriff's Office at a cost of $198,000, and 10 more run under Florence Police at $69,100, as we reported Aug. 4. Neither agency has commented publicly on whether the mounting regional opposition or Roberts' planned legislation will affect their programs.
What happened in Independence
Independence, a Kenton County city of roughly 30,000, signed its Flock contract in 2024. Seventeen cameras now dot the city, with three more paid for but not yet installed.
The meeting opened with remarks from Police Chief Brian Ferayorni and a virtual presentation by a Flock representative before residents were allowed to speak, according to Spectrum News 1. Ferayorni defended the program, saying officers must now enter a case number and reason before running searches.
Residents were unconvinced. One speaker told the council he doesn't see where public safety outweighs Fourth Amendment protections from government intrusion. No one rose to defend the cameras.
Emily Humbert, a Newport resident and member of the Northern Kentucky chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, attended the Independence meeting and said she believes there is enough support in Kenton County to move the county toward ending its Flock contracts. Humbert pointed to Newport's decision to end its pilot as a model.
Roberts' planned 2027 bill
Roberts plans to file his bill when the Kentucky General Assembly convenes in January 2027. As we reported Aug. 11, the legislation would require police departments using Flock cameras to comply with Fourth Amendment privacy standards set by the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling in Chatrie v. United States. The bill is not a ban. Roberts' earlier 2026 measure to outlaw the cameras entirely failed.
Roberts told Spectrum News 1 on Aug. 7 that the Flock debate is a constitutional issue, not a political one, and that Kentucky should act before federal courts force the change and stick agencies with attorney fees.
A separate state law, House Bill 58, took effect July 15 and caps Flock data retention at 90 days while requiring agencies to adopt written oversight policies. Flock itself announced Aug. 13 that it would cut its default retention period from 30 days to seven and make internal audit tools mandatory for all law enforcement customers by year's end.
What's next
No follow-up meeting or vote has been scheduled in Independence. Across the region, 101 Flock cameras are approved in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties combined. Roberts has not released draft text or a bill number for his 2027 legislation.
