Dublin police confirmed they block immigration enforcement agencies from accessing the city's license-plate-reader data.

A city spokesperson told NBC4 on Aug. 5 that Dublin has no reciprocal data-sharing agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Department of Homeland Security. The system cannot be used for immigration-related searches, the spokesperson said.

The disclosure comes as Columbus grapples with a July audit that found 15,577 possible immigration-related searches in its own Flock network since 2024. Columbus City Councilmember Emmanuel Remy has scheduled a public hearing on Flock cameras for Aug. 10, at 4 p.m.

Dublin's approach differs sharply. Under Police Chief Justin Páez, the department approves each law enforcement agency individually before any data-sharing relationship is established, and only trained personnel can access the system for official law enforcement purposes.

Dublin police can view Flock data from three federal agencies: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base police, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority Police. No federal agency has access to Dublin-operated cameras.

The department conducts regular audits of system use and has identified no misuse or abuse, according to the city's statement.

135 investigative successes since spring 2024

Since Dublin deployed its Flock automated license plate readers in spring 2024, the department has documented at least 135 investigative successes. Those include locating a missing juvenile, identifying suspect vehicles in three separate robbery investigations and helping identify a vehicle linked to multiple arson-related incidents in the region.

Flock Safety's cameras capture plate numbers and vehicle descriptions, retaining the data for 30 days before automatic deletion, according to WOSU reporting from April.

Regional context

The regional debate intensified after Columbus police published an audit in July finding that out of nearly 19.6 million total Flock searches, thousands were flagged as potentially immigration-related. ICE itself conducted zero direct searches; the queries came from agencies including U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant told NBC4 on Aug. 5 that her division has moved to one-to-one data sharing. "We are vetting the agencies and we are vetting the counties," Bryant said. "We're vetting the cities that we are actually sharing information with because we want to make sure that we are not contributing to anything that does not align with our policies and align with the city's policies."

Two Reynoldsburg officers resigned over possible misuse of Flock data, NBC4 reported Aug. 5.