Columbus Officer’s Flock Data Searches Under Scrutiny | Columbus News

A Columbus police officer sparked controversy after conducting six rapid Flock camera searches in ten minutes—all under the “ICE” category—while hunting for a pickup truck. The audit of nearly 20 million data requests flagged this behavior, along with 14 other immigration-related searches, despite a city policy since 2017 banning officers from assisting with civil immigration enforcement. The officer, who’s ranked among the top 12 in Flock usage with over 5,000 searches since November, remains on duty as the department investigates. Deputy Chief Tim Myers emphasized the need to understand the “why” behind the searches and whether systems are properly aligned with community values. While ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations does handle criminal matters, the city’s stance—codified by Mayor Ginther and council—aims to avoid taxpayer-funded immigration enforcement, barring secondary employment with federal agencies and imposing disciplinary action for violations. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/7b6806f51ea8c72a