Milford residents are pushing city leaders to scrap the nine automated license plate reader cameras installed around town, calling the $27,000 system an invasion of privacy.
Police Chief D. Jamey Mills defended the Flock cameras at the Aug. 18 Milford City Council meeting, telling critics the system has already helped solve a break-in and does not use facial recognition. WCPO first reported on the exchange Aug. 20.
Protest organizer Adam Hyott and resident Anne Guthrie both spoke during public comment, urging council to reject the Flock contracts. Hyott organized a July 17 protest at Five Points Landing Park, where he told attendees, "I feel this violates my right to privacy."
At the Aug. 18 meeting, Hyott said he was frustrated that $27,000 in tax money funded the program. Guthrie asked council directly to reject the camera contracts.
What the chief said
Mills, a 31-year veteran who has led the department since 2011, acknowledged the protesters' concerns during his report to council.
"The concerns raised at the park, specifically the worry that our Flock safety cameras constitute an unnecessary infringement on your right to privacy, are not being ignored; I hear you," Mills said at the Aug. 18 meeting, as reported by WCPO.
The cameras capture only license plates and vehicle characteristics, Mills explained. They check plates against national and state wanted-vehicle databases and do not run plates through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Mills cited data from Flock's public transparency portal to support his case.
He also advocated for state legislation that would make misusing Flock cameras a felony. The answer to abuse concerns is accountability, not removal, Mills argued.
How Milford got here
Ralph Vilardo, now the mayor, first proposed exploring Flock cameras as a council member at an April 2024 Safety Services Committee meeting. He described a system that stores plate images for 30 days before purging them.
Council approved Ordinance 25-335 on Feb. 4, 2025, authorizing nine cameras for $27,000 under a 24-month contract. Council member Kristopher Parrish cast the lone no vote.
The system includes six Flock Safety Falcon fixed cameras and three Condor pan-tilt-zoom units with LTE service, each costing $3,000. As of an April 15, 2025, council update, installation stood at 67 percent. One camera was awaiting electricity. Another awaited a permit.
Broader debate
Milford is not alone. Newport, Kentucky, removed its Flock cameras in July 2026. Residents in Hamilton, Ohio, rallied against the technology in August 2026. Nationally, Flock Safety cameras operate in more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states, according to Fox News reporting.
Vilardo told WCPO the technology has been a benefit for the community. No follow-up vote or public hearing on the cameras has been announced.
