Cleveland to keep Flock cameras, pause data center projects

Cleveland City Council, during a summer meeting, approved a three-month moratorium on data center developments. The decision, supported by a 14-to-1 vote, aims to provide City Hall with sufficient time to develop specific zoning regulations for facilities that provide computing power for artificial intelligence. This pause is set to last until the fall.

Separately, the council also voted 9 to 6 to extend the city's contract for 100 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras for an additional six months, a move sponsored by Mayor Justin Bibb. This decision followed months of debate, with safety officials advocating for the cameras as an investigative tool and opponents raising privacy concerns. The extended legislation includes provisions that prohibit Flock Safety from sharing data with other governments or third parties, requires police to establish an online transparency portal, and mandates quarterly reports to the City Council on camera usage. Additionally, the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center's access to Cleveland's Flock data was cut off. The city will spend $125,000 to continue using the cameras and plans to solicit bids from other license plate reader companies.