Columbus police have paused their use of Flock automatic license plate readers after an officer was accused of searching the same plate more than 270 times over roughly 14 months.
\n\nThe Columbus Dispatch reports that Mayor Andrew Ginther called the allegations against the officer “deeply troubling” in comments made this week as the city moved to immediately halt use of the cameras and cover them with bags to prevent further data collection. The city will also audit all Flock searches conducted by Columbus police, and City Council is drafting legislation to govern how the cameras can be used going forward.
\n\nThe officer at the center of the investigation is Melvin Tellis, a member of the City Council Executive Protection Unit who joined the force in 2017. According to a USA TODAY analysis of public records, Tellis searched a single license plate more than 270 times between November 2023 and December 2024. The reasons he gave were generally vague, often listed simply as “location.”
\n\nPolice Chief Elaine Bryant said the division believes the searches were not related to Tellis’ job, though she declined to provide details about the license plate in question. Bryant said the division learned of the searches on…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/tech/
