Franklin County Flock-camera scrutiny raises surveillance-accountability questions for Dublin residents

A Dublin driver who passes a Flock camera in Franklin County can leave behind a searchable record tying a vehicle to a place and time. Now, an audit of one sheriff’s deputy’s searches is testing who checks that access — and what happens when a search raises concern.

Franklin County Sheriff Dallas L. Baldwin ordered the audit after an internal review flagged searches by the deputy, The Columbus Dispatch reported Sept. 10. Separately, his office is developing a process for routinely auditing future Flock use, according to 10TV.

The case concerns potential misuse, not a finding that the deputy misused Flock data, as Ideastream reported.

Baldwin said reports of misuse elsewhere prompted the initial review. “After hearing about instances of the technology being misused by other law enforcement agencies, I felt it was important to conduct a review to ensure that this technology is solely being used as an investigative tool in my office.”

What the cameras capture

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has mobile Flock cameras and can access stationary-camera data shared by other local communities.

For a resident driving from Dublin’s Delaware or Union County side into Franklin County for work, shopping or another daily trip, passing a Flock camera can create a searchable record. Dublin spans all three counties.

Flock Safety’s license-plate-reader policy says the data can include an image of the plate and vehicle, vehicle characteristics, the plate number and state, and the date, time and camera location. Together, those details can connect a plate number or vehicle image to a particular place and time.

Flock says its default retention period is seven days, after which evidence is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered, subject to applicable law and customer retention settings. The company also says it can allow storage for up to one year when an agency seeks to keep data longer than the law requires and receives specified approval.

Every search leaves a trail

Flock says every query is stored for auditing, including the username, date, time, query purpose and the plate number or other elements used in the search.

The company says those records are intended to help customers determine whether authorized users accessed the system for legitimate purposes under applicable law and agency policy.

That trail gives Franklin County auditors a way to examine who conducted the deputy’s questioned searches, when they happened, what was searched and the purpose entered for each query.

Building the safeguards

The audit of the deputy’s records is distinct from the broader safeguard the sheriff’s office is developing for future use.

Baldwin said the office is “working to develop and implement an internal auditing process to ensure appropriate use moving forward.”

The immediate audit is meant to compare the deputy’s query history — including usernames, times, search details and stated purposes — with the requirement that Flock be used for legitimate investigative work. After that, Baldwin’s office will need to show who routinely reviews those logs, how questioned searches are handled and whether the audit trail is checked before another concern surfaces.