79% cost increase drives decision

ELYRIA — The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office will discontinue its 15-camera Flock license plate reader program after the two-year cost increased from $58,650 to approximately $105,000.

Sheriff Jack Hall announced the decision Friday in a video posted to the office’s Facebook page. The proposed cost represents an increase of approximately 79%.

Hall did not say when the cameras will be turned off.

The Sheriff’s Office began using the automated license plate readers in 2024. The cameras record license plates and provide information that can help law enforcement locate vehicles connected to investigations.

Hall said the system has assisted Lorain County deputies and other law enforcement agencies, but its usefulness no longer justifies the price.

After comparing the program’s benefits with its cost, Hall said he could not ask county taxpayers to absorb such a large increase.

The new price would have covered the same 15-camera program for another two years.

Other duties come first

Hall said the Sheriff’s Office must prioritize its basic responsibilities, including putting deputies on the road, operating the Lorain County Jail, providing court security and investigating crimes.

The office also must maintain its vehicles and equipment, train employees and provide other services required by Ohio law.

Money spent on one program is unavailable for another need, Hall said.

The decision is not criticism of other police departments or sheriff’s offices that continue using Flock cameras. Each agency must consider its own needs, resources and priorities.

Hall also emphasized that ending the program does not mean the cameras have no value to law enforcement. The question is whether that value warrants spending $105,000 every two years.

He concluded that it does not for Lorain County.

Privacy debate continues

Hall also acknowledged the wider national discussion surrounding automated license plate readers.

Privacy advocates and government officials have raised questions about how long information is retained, who can access it and what safeguards should govern its use.

Hall said those questions are important and deserve continued examination. However, he said the Sheriff’s Office does not need to settle the national debate to make its decision because the county’s choice is based on cost.

Technology should improve law enforcement operations, he said, but government should not continue paying for a program simply because it has paid for it previously.

“Sometimes responsible government means determining what we need, and sometimes it means having the discipline to say what we don’t,” Hall said.