Cleveland emergency response drones accidentally added to ICE surveillance network
Cleveland has become further proof that when authorities can access society-monitoring tools, such as cameras and, now, drones, they can be abused, even "accidentally."
Flock license plate reader and camera with solar panel in California. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty.
Cleveland has become further proof that when authorities can access society-monitoring tools, such as cameras and, now, drones, they can be abused, even "accidentally."
- Cleveland fire department drones were accidentally added to Flock Security's network, resulting in 163 ICE-related searches despite the city blocking immigration searches since November 2025.
- Audit logs show dozens of searches explicitly referencing "I.C.E." came from agencies in Florida and Texas that participate in federal programs coordinating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Thousands of additional searches were labeled "other-investigation" and "other-other," with unclear accountability over what data was accessed or retrieved.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The latest case shows that 163 immigration-related searches were registered in Cleveland’s Flock camera audit logs between December 28th and January 27th, despite the city having blocked immigration searches since November 2025, cleveland.com reported.
The drones meant to help the Cleveland fire and emergency medical services were "accidentally" and "mistakenly" included in Flock Security's national network. That’s the surveillance technology company already in hot water over privacy concerns for similar incidents in other Ohio cities, such as Shaker Heights and Dayton.
According to audit logs obtained by Cleveland.com, the records include dozens of searches explicitly referencing “I.C.E.” Many of these searches originated with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Both of these agencies participated in a federal program that allows local officers to perform immigration enforcement functions “in coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”
Authorities used drone data while conducting immigration-related searches.
The audit logs also show thousands of searches labeled as "other-investigation" and "other-other," in addition to immigration-related queries. Per the report, it's not clear whether authorities actually retrieved information from Cleveland’s data or just queried the system.
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Flock Safety's position on the matter is still unknown.
Cleveland already has 100 Flock cameras that are used for registering car license plates. It hasn't been decided yet whether the contract with the company is going to be renewed after it expires on June 28th.
Meanwhile, the anti-Flock Safety group, Flock No, claims the system lacks real accountability as it permits queries such as “other-other” or “other-investigation.”
Also, on the X platform, a new anti-automated license plate readers (ALPR) account, DeFlock, was created this month and is organizing the National Week of Action Against ALPR in August this year.
"We’re building a public map of ALPRs, AI surveillance cameras, drones, and connected surveillance infrastructure so communities can see what’s being installed around them," the account says, warning that all these surveillance cameras "are doing more than reading your license plate."
In January 2025, security researchers found that ALPR systems might leak sensitive car data online.
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