Sheriff Jack Hall, Flock correct error in cost of rejected two-year contract proposal

The Lorain County Sheriff's Office will not be replacing the controversial Flock Safety license plate reader cameras with another system when its contract with the Atlanta-based company is over at the end of the month. That's according to Sheriff Jack Hall, who also corrected a math error in information he provided to the public earlier this month when announcing the end of his office's two-year contract with Flock. Flock cameras record license plates of passing vehicles and store those numbers, the time and location for up to 30 days, during which time it is searchable by law enforcement. Hall announced Sept. 4 that he was ending his office's relationship with Flock Safety over a price increase in a proposed new two-year contract ending in 2028. Hall had said the price was going up from $58,650 to $105,000, a 79 percent increase over what Lorain County paid the previous two years. Hall and a Flock representative later corrected an error in that calculation: Taking into account that a grant paid for a portion of the original two-year contract, Flock's new proposals would have cost Lorain County only 17 percent more over two years, not 79 percent. The sheriff said that's still too much for his budget to absorb. So the 15 license plate reader cameras installed in townships throughout Lorain County will be coming down by Sept. 30 when the current contract ends. Hall said he will not be replacing the cameras with another system, and Flock is responsible for removing the existing equipment. The proposed new two-year contract would have run from Oct. 1 this year through Sept. 30, 2028, according to a copy of Flock's proposal received and reviewed by The Chronicle-Telegram through a public records request. It would have cost Lorain County $52,500 per year over the next two years, with added incentives including a "Camera Protection Plan" as insurance against damage, according to the proposal and Hall. Numerous Flock cameras in Lorain County have been vandalized in recent months, with at least one arrest resulting in felony charges. Replacements cost an estimated $4,500 to $5,000 each, officials said. The Sheriff's Office first agreed to a two-year, $103,650 contract with Flock in July 2024. The stated intent was for the Lorain County deputies to track down criminal suspects involved in human trafficking, murders and other illegal activity. The contract said the county would pay $58,650 in the first year and $45,000 in the second year, according to records reviewed by The Chronicle. Hall said he corrected the math error after doing more digging and learning about the grant funding. Supporters say Flock is an effective law-enforcement tool that helps catch criminals, solve crimes and find missing persons. Lorain County authorities have used it to track down and arrest several murder suspects, convicted and accused sex offenders and others. Critics say it is an invasion of privacy and that Flock has not given assurances it protects private data. A Washington Post invstigation also found as many as 50 police officers nationwide have been caught using Flock to track or allegedly stalk their romantic partners and strangers alike. Saying he was aware of and shared concerns about civil liberties, Hall said his recent decision was purely financial. Flock recently said it has changed its policies, including in an Aug. 13 blog post on its website, FlockSafety.com. The company wrote that it has reduced its recommended default data retention from 30 to seven days; given customers more control over how data is shared across agencies; expanded audit requirements and monitoring to catch misuse; made multifactor authentication mandatory for every customer; and increased transparency regarding data ownership, security and agency policies. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.