Frequently Asked Questions

No. We support real investigations and legitimate public-safety work. What we object to is tracking everyone's movements by default, with no public vote, no firm limits, and no independent oversight.

Yes, a plate is visible on the road. But an officer noticing one plate at one moment is very different from a private database that stores thousands of movements and lets police search them later. The problem is the automatic, stored, searchable history.

Automated license plate readers photograph passing vehicles, turn the plate and vehicle details into searchable data, and tag each record with a time and place.

Flock Safety is a private company that sells license plate reader cameras and related surveillance tools to police, local governments, HOAs, and businesses.

Flock says no. Its published statement is that it doesn't work with ICE and that federal sharing is off by default. The ACLU disputes how straight Flock has been, pointing out that Flock first denied having federal contracts and later admitted a Customs and Border Protection pilot. That gap is exactly why settings matter here: Butler County's Sheriff holds both a Flock contract and a 287(g) immigration agreement, so residents deserve the actual configuration in writing, not just assurances. Both sources are on our Evidence page.

We have no proof Liberty's own data has been. But the risk in this county is documented, not hypothetical: nearby Dayton found about 7,150 immigration-related searches of its Flock data by outside agencies, Butler County deputies can now act on immigration during routine traffic stops, and the Sheriff holds a 287(g) agreement with ICE. Our records requests ask whether Liberty-funded data is exposed to those searches.

No. We aren't claiming the cameras are automatically illegal. We're saying the township shouldn't fund broad vehicle tracking without public consent, full disclosure, real limits, and independent oversight.

Pause the cameras, turn off outside sharing, release the contracts and policies, and hold a public vote on whether to keep the program.

Liberty pays the Butler County Sheriff's Office for policing, so township money and county operations both matter. Liberty is the immediate focus, and countywide transparency is the next step.

No, not unless we say so. We may link to public mapping tools like DeFlock for research, but we operate independently.

Only document cameras lawfully, from public places. Don't trespass, touch, cover, or interfere with any equipment. Use public reporting tools responsibly.

Not right now. The project is volunteer-led and self-funded.