Since late last year, your trips to McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and other businesses on Route 4 in Germantown have been monitored.

Travel on Route 4 in Germantown, near the restaurants, grocery, and pharmacy that many residents from both Germantown and Farmersville visit, is being monitored by two Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras by Flock.

One camera is located at the intersection of Route 4 and State Route 725, across from the Marathon gas station.

The second camera is in view of the Germantown water tower near the intersection of Route 4 and Worthington Drive.

City Council Approval

Germantown City Council discussed Flock cameras in an August 2024 work session where, according to the minutes, Police Chief Burns “shared information about Flock Cameras and how helpful they would be for not just our jurisdiction but surrounding jurisdictions. They would be a great investment to assist the department when locating license plates that have been flagged in the system.”

In its February 2025 meeting, City Council passed Resolution No. 25-10, “a resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract with Flock Group, Inc., for Flock cameras to be used by the Germantown Police Department.”

It’s unclear from meeting minutes when the cameras were installed, but both cameras were added to the Flock camera tracking site FlockHopper around 9-10 months ago.

City and Township Response

The City of Germantown said in a statement that it is working to gather materials in response to a public records request about the number and location of all ALPR cameras under the jurisdiction of Germantown Police or located within Germantown and the names of all the agencies with which data is shared.

German Township Police responded to a similar public records request stating: “The German Township Police Department does not currently have any license plate reader systems, Flock cameras, or contracts, MOUs, or other agreements with Flock Safety.”

Jackson Township Police chief Mark Bruner confirmed that there are no Flock cameras in Farmersville or Jackson Township.

Cameras in the Region

There are a number of additional cameras in local jurisdictions like West Carrollton, Miamisburg, Moraine and Kettering. A search on the FlockHopper website showed around 150 cameras in and around those cities

There is also a camera on Route 4 at the intersection of Farmersville-West Carrollton Road in front of the Beverage Dock drive-thru, known for many years as Hibberds.

Multiple jurisdictions, including Jefferson Township and Moraine serve that area and it is possible the camera is owned by the Montgomery County Sheriff.

Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Cameras

ALPR cameras like those from Flock, a private company based in Atlanta, capture images of ALL passing vehicles, not just those that may be speeding or violating other traffic laws. They are managed by local police departments and municipalities.

According to the website DeFlock, “Automated License Plate Readers are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles, storing details like your car's location, date, and time. They also capture your car's make, model, color, and identifying features such as dents, roof racks, and bumper stickers, often turning these into searchable data points.”

“These cameras collect data on millions of vehicles regardless of whether the driver is suspected of a crime.”

Flock for Crime-Fighting

WECT TV in Toledo reported that the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office said their cameras played an important role in finding a missing girl earlier this month.

The City of Dublin told WCMH TV in Columbus that since implementing the technology in Spring 2024, the department has documented at least 135 investigative successes. This included locating a missing juvenile, suspect vehicles involved in three separate robbery investigations, and helping identify a vehicle associated with multiple arson-related incidents in the region.

Concerns about Privacy

In May of this year, the City of Dayton suspended its automated license plate reader program and physically covered all of its fixed Flock Safety cameras with bags after an internal review revealed unauthorized, out-of-state, and federal data-sharing violations regarding immigration-related searches.

Nationally, Flock cameras have been linked to cases of police misuse. Last week, two officers in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, resigned after being accused of repeatedly searching license plates not part of ongoing investigations.

In Toledo and other cities, Flock cameras have been the target of vandalism. A protester in Florida has become famous for blocking Flock cameras with signs that read “Down with the Flock.”

The TWIN CREEK TIMES will continue to follow this story and share updates as more data and information become available.

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