There are currently 101 Flock Safety devices approved for use in Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties, with more on the way.
Flock Safety is a company that makes automatic license plate readers and other surveillance technology. The devices have created tension in NKY because some people are worried about how the information obtained is stored and to whom it’s available.
With nearly 30 departments in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, it can be difficult to keep track of the departments that actually employ the devices. LINK nky made public records requests to each department to learn who has them, how many they use, how much they cost and the complete details of the contracts.
These are the agencies in NKY that use the technology:
Department or authority Company No. of devices Cost Contract documents Bellevue PD Flock Safety 6 $43,200 Click here to view Boone County Sheriff Flock Safety 20 $198,000 Click here to view Dayton PD Flock Safety 2 $12,800 Click here to view Edgewood PD Flock Safety 4 $42,000 Click here to view Elsmere PD Flock Safety 11 (includes moving cameras) $75,000 Click here to view Florence PD Flock Safety 10 $69,100 Click here to view Fort Mitchell PD Flock Safety 5 $34,000 Click here to view Fort Thomas PD Flock Safety 4 (with four additional budgeted for the the future) $29,000 (not including recent $12,000 budget allocation) Click here to view Highland Heights PD Flock Safety 2 $11,500 Click here to view Independence PD Flock Safety 15 (with five more approved for future installment) $128,900 Click here to view Kenton County Sheriff Flock Safety 3 unknown Click here to view Lakeside Park/Crestview Hills PA Flock Safety 3 $19,550 Click here to view Southgate PD Flock Safety 5 $28,750 Click here to view Villa Hills PD Flock Safety 5 $33,250 Click here to view Wilder PD Flock Safety 1 $15,600 Click here to view
ALPRs are mounted at fixed angles on poles and use a combination of computer software and cameras to read a vehicle’s license plate, make, model and color as it passes by. The software then converts that information into searchable data that law enforcement agencies — and sometimes private customers — can use to track vehicles. Flock Safety isn’t the only company that makes the devices, but it’s the only one active in Northern Kentucky, according to public records.
The Newport town hall revealed the central tension between police departments, who find the technology useful as an investigative tool, and members of the public, who have expressed concerns about mass surveillance, data security and breaches of constitutional protections against unwarranted search and seizure.
The Kenton County Sheriff’s Office uses ALPRs but was not able to locate pricing information related to its contract. LINK nky reached out to Kenton County Sheriff Jude Hehman directly twice for more information, but he did not respond.
Some departments, such as Covington PD, do not have any ALPRs but still employ conventional security cameras to monitor government buildings and other public spaces. Several departments, such as Taylor Mill PD, have expressed interest in getting the devices but have not yet secured a contract.
The following departments do not have any contracts for ALPRs:
- Alexandria PD
- Campbell County PD
- Campbell County Sheriff
- Cold Spring PD
- Covington PD
- Erlanger PD
- Fort Wright PD
- Kenton County PD (NOTE: Kenton County PD has asked the fiscal court to begin bidding for contracts, but the court has not voted on it, as of this story’s publication)
- Ludlow PD
- Newport PD (NOTE: Newport had trialed Flock devices but recently decided not to seek a permanent contract)
- Northern Kentucky University Police
- Park Hills PD
- Taylor Mill PD (NOTE: Taylor Mill has set aside money for ALPRs in the future but had not secured a contract, as of this story’s publication)
Our records requests have also turned up an agreement between the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office and the cities of Erlanger, Independence, Villa Hills, Dayton, Highland Heights, Southgate, Fort Mitchell, Lakeside Park and Edgewood for cost sharing of services provided by a subcontractor called Tyler Technologies — billed to Independence — which provides call interfacing services for Flock systems. The heads of those respective departments signed the agreement, which is “perpetual” and “subject to automatic renewal,” unless mutually modified by all parties, on Dec. 18, 2025. Erlanger’s city administrator confirmed the city signed the agreement before it ceased using ALPRs.
Tyler Technologies is the company that provides the technology used by dispatchers in the Kenton County Emergency Communications Center, which all fire and police departments in Kenton County use to communicate. Independence was the first department to contract with Tyler Technologies and initially paid to integrate its Flock Safety hit list, i.e., the records of vehicles flagged on an ALPR reading, into the dispatch network. Read LINK nky’s previous reporting to learn how Flock Safety hit lists work.
