Anderson Township trustees took up changes to the township's Flock camera contract at their Thursday, Oct. 1 meeting. The move came one day before the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office permanently ended its own Flock program.
The Oct. 1 agenda listed two resolutions amending the township's police protection services agreement. Police Chief Kevin Wanner presented both, one general and one tied specifically to Flock cameras. The agenda did not describe what the amendment would change.
On Friday, Oct. 2, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office permanently ended its Flock camera program. Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey had suspended the cameras Sept. 3, citing concerns about data sharing, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The sheriff's office said the cameras did not meet its standards for privacy, transparency and local control over sensitive data.
The county had 75 Flock cameras across Hamilton County and its townships. Anderson Township was among the jurisdictions that contributed funding to the sheriff's program, WKRC reported. The sheriff's office had shared Flock data with 440 law enforcement agencies in Ohio and received data from more than 1,900 agencies nationwide, according to the Enquirer.
Flock cameras have drawn resident attention in Anderson Township for months. At the May 21 board meeting, resident Ethan Calhoun raised concerns about the cameras being used as government surveillance. By June 25, Trustee Vice Chair Katie Nappi said she had received emails on the topic and thought the board might need to address it at a future meeting.
The township paid $30,000 a year for 10 Flock cameras it added in 2023, according to the Anderson Insights newsletter from that November. Those were separate from six cameras the sheriff's District 5 substation had installed in 2022 and 10 others funded by Great Parks of Hamilton County and the Forest Hills School District.
Trustee Chair Dee Stone defended the cameras when they were first deployed. "This technology will be used retroactively — not proactively — it's not used to give speeding tickets, etc.," Stone said in the township's November 2023 newsletter.
Meeting minutes have not been posted, so it is not yet clear whether the board approved the Flock amendment or what its terms are.
Other agenda items
Township Administrator Vicky Earhart also presented the 2026–2027 salt bid award, a road maintenance collective bargaining agreement, updates on the Five Mile Sculpture Trail and the Walls Greenspace "Turpin Site" art proposal. The agenda did not list a winning bidder, price or contract terms for the salt bid or labor agreement. The township maintains about 122 miles of road.
The board considered a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant under Ohio Revised Code Section 505.10. The grant amount and intended use were not specified.
Following an executive session, the agenda listed resolutions to reappoint Suzanne Parker as assistant township administrator for human resources and Steve Sievers as assistant township administrator for operations.
The next board meeting is Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m. at Anderson Center, 7850 Five Mile Road. The Oct. 1 agenda lists a budget amendment, tax levy certification and a stop sign request at Fairgrove Court and Kimbee Drive for that meeting.
