Wilmington Police Chief Shares Flock Cameras Success Stories
Wilmington Police Chief Josh Gibson addressed Wilmington City Council on Thursday, October 1, 2026, to answer questions, dispel rumors, and share success stories surrounding the police department’s use of Flock Safety's license plate recognition cameras.
Gibson was joined virtually by Natalie Kohse, a Government Affairs Manager with Flock Safety, who gave council members an overview of the technology, privacy safeguards, and controls available to local law enforcement agencies.
Kohse explained that Flock cameras are license plate readers (LPR) that capture images of vehicles at specific points in time on public roadways. They are not GPS devices and do not continuously track a vehicle.
According to Kohse, agencies retain control of their data, Flock does not sell customer data, and the company's standard retention period is seven days. She also emphasized that the system does not use facial recognition and cannot be searched using a person's race, gender, or other personal identifying information.
Instead, the technology is designed to provide investigative leads involving vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers. Kohse said agencies across the country have used the technology while investigating crimes including violent offenses, sexual assaults, and bank robberies.
Every search is associated with a registered user and preserved in an audit log, allowing agencies to review how the system is being used. Flock also offers transparency tools that agencies can make available to the public.
Following the presentation, Council President Bob Osborn asked who manages users of Wilmington's system.
Gibson said he currently serves as administrator of the department's Flock accounts and plans to promote a sergeant assist with administrative duties in the future. Administrators can conduct audits, manage settings, and establish search parameters, while the department's policies also govern how officers may use the system.
Councilman Kelly Tolliver said much of the public's concern appears to center around safeguards and the potential for the technology to be abused.
Gibson explained that Wilmington officers are required to enter a police report or reference number when conducting a search.
"You just can't randomly decide to go type in a license plate without a report number," Gibson told council.
That requirement allows searches to be cross-referenced with the department's reporting system and is intended to prevent officers from using the cameras for non-law-enforcement purposes.
Gibson also said Wilmington currently does not provide the federal government or out-of-state agencies with direct access to its Flock data. Those agencies would have to contact the Wilmington Police Department, provide a reason for the request and receive authorization.
Councilman Michael Snarr asked Kohse about proposed Ohio legislation that could limit how long license plate reader information is retained and make the sale of data a felony. Kohse said she was not familiar enough with the specific legislation to address it in detail, but said Flock's standard retention period is seven days and the agency can adjust retention periods to comply with state laws. She reiterated that Flock does not sell customer data.
Snarr also asked whether peer-reviewed research has examined whether communities using Flock or other license plate readers experience reductions in crime. Kohse referenced research showing reductions in motor vehicle theft and increases in case clearance rates, while acknowledging that agency success stories and statistics are different from the peer-reviewed research Snarr was specifically asking about.
Gibson said Wilmington currently has six Flock cameras under contract and another 11 being used on a trial basis, bringing the total to 17 cameras throughout the city. He said he plans to bring a proposed contract before council at its next meeting for review and a vote.
The chief then shared several examples of how the technology has already assisted Wilmington police.
According to Gibson, Flock alerts have helped officers locate people with outstanding warrants, recover a stolen vehicle, and identify multiple stolen license plates.
He also described a theft of more than $200,000 from a Wilmington company that occurred before the city had its own Flock system. Police had the suspect vehicle's license plate, and Gibson said an agency in New York was able to use Flock technology to help track down the vehicle and recover the stolen property.
Flock has also become a tool in local drug investigations.
Gibson said Wilmington police have seized approximately one pound of methamphetamine through investigations assisted by Flock camera information. Residents sometimes provide police with descriptions or license plate numbers of vehicles suspected of involvement in drug activity, allowing investigators to use that information as they develop cases.
The technology has also been used in situations involving missing and endangered people.
In one instance, an Alzheimer's patient from northern Ohio had been reported missing by his family. His vehicle triggered a Wilmington Flock camera, and Gibson said officers located the vehicle within approximately three or four minutes and were able to reunite the man with his family.
In another case, a young person from several counties away was reportedly threatening self-harm. Her home county entered the vehicle's license plate into the system, and it was detected by a camera on Xenia Avenue. Gibson said Wilmington officers located her by the time the vehicle reached the middle of town and were able to get her to the hospital for help.
Gibson said the cameras have also helped solve multiple hit-skip crashes.
"We've had over 100, easy over 100 calls where Flock has assisted," Gibson told council.
Snarr, who said he had recently participated in a police ride-along and found the technology "fascinating", encouraged residents with concerns about Flock to make those concerns known so council can evaluate them.
Gibson said the city has considerable control over how its system operates, including how restrictive its settings are, what information outside agencies must provide to search Wilmington's data and what searches Wilmington officers themselves are permitted to conduct.
"If the public has those concerns, I'm absolutely open to discussing what they are and kind of conforming the way we use it to what's going to best suit our city," Gibson said.
Tolliver voiced support for the technology, pointing to drugs recovered through investigations and Wilmington's location between major interstate corridors.
"We need this tool," Tolliver said. "I welcome this tool."
Councilman Jamie Knowles also expressed support, saying the technology appeared capable of helping Wilmington because of Clinton County's location and the amount of traffic moving through the area.
Gibson said the department also intends to launch a public Flock transparency portal, which could provide residents with information about the department's policies and use of the technology. He said he hopes to have the portal operating by the end of the year.
Learn more about the City of Wilmington at wilmingtonohio.gov.
