The Cleveland City Council Public Safety Committee has voted no to a contract extension for Flock license plate readers, effectively cutting off the system at the end of the month.
The committee voted 3 to 1 against renewing the contract, which expires on June 29.
The discussion, which involved council members, top police brass, and Public Safety Director Wayne Drummond, lasted nearly two hours.
Fifteen people signed up to speak, including community activists and local pastors.
Police presented their case to keep Flock license plate readers, saying they helped in homicide cases, street takeovers, hit-and-runs, and in finding missing people.
"We would lose one of the most valuable investigative tools right now," said Cleveland Police Deputy Chief Jarod Schlacht.
Drummond said they understand privacy rights, but that is why they put in guardrails.
“We have not received any complaints here in the city of Cleveland that any actor, police officer, or otherwise used the system we have nefariously," said Drummond.
Had the contract moved forward, it would have gone before the finance committee and then to the city council for final approval.
"What we learned, maybe more so than ever before we’re spending millions on technology millions on cameras and we’re not having an impact on criminal activity in our neighborhoods," said Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek, who chairs the committee.
The contract extension would have cost the city around a quarter of a million dollars. However, the committee pushed back, stating that the cameras weren't stopping crime.
"We want to see things happening, we want to see bad bars closed down. We want to see illegal operations shut down. We got cameras all over the place — you can wave and smile; you’re on candid camera — well, a lot of good it’s doing. We want results," Polensek said.
Drummond said he was disappointed and will regroup with the Administration on what's next.
Flock cameras were first activated in Cleveland in the summer of 2023 and have since drawn the ire of some residents and community activist organizations.
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RELATED: Activists want Flock out of Cleveland while city looks to extend contract
One such organization, Flock No, was formed last year when the city wanted to push through the council an emergency proposal to expand Flock Safety’s footprint beyond license plate readers without giving other companies a chance to bid.
“We are glad that the committee recognized that there’s no compelling evidence, no data presented at all to show the presence of these Flock cameras, the use of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on Flock surveillance has reduced or prevented crime in any meaningful way," said Tessa Xuan.
Drummond said he won't be able to take the Flock extension plan to the Board of Control, like he did to renew Shotspotter.
He said he had already committed to bringing the legislation to the council.
