City of Hartford ends partnership with Flock Safety
HARTFORD, Ky. – An Ohio County city is ending a partnership with Flock Safety.
According to a social media announcement, the City of Hartford and the Hartford Police Department have ended their partnership with Flock Safety.
The city says a preliminary action plan with Flock was entered into in early 2026 to protect the community. Officials say after speaking with residents and hearing their concerns, they decided to end the partnership.
On Monday morning, the city and the Hartford Police Department issued a joint statement.
Today, the Hartford Police Department and the City of Hartford want to share an important decision regarding our proposed partnership with Flock Safety.
From the beginning, our interest in Flock Safety’s Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology came from one goal: protecting our community. We believed this technology could have provided law enforcement with another valuable tool to help identify vehicles connected to violent crimes, locate missing persons, recover stolen vehicles, and assist in preventing individuals who have committed serious offenses elsewhere from bringing that activity into Hartford.
However, public safety is about more than preventing crime. It is also about trust, transparency, privacy, and preserving the sense of freedom and security that makes Hartford such a special place to live.
Earlier this year, the City of Hartford entered a preliminary action plan with Flock Safety after carefully researching the technology and considering how it could enhance public safety. Since that time, Mayor Beau Wright and Chief Roger York, along with members of Hartford City Council have listened closely to the citizens of our community and thoughtfully considered both the benefits and concerns surrounding this technology.
After careful consideration, the City of Hartford and the Hartford Police Department have decided to CEASE our partnership with Flock Safety at this time.
This decision is not a criticism of Flock Safety or the technology itself. We recognize that Flock has become a valuable investigative tool for many law enforcement agencies and has assisted in solving crimes, recovering stolen vehicles, locating missing persons, and apprehending dangerous offenders, but it is just not for us!
We never want our citizens to feel uncomfortable traveling through their own hometown or to believe/feel that their privacy or freedoms are being compromised. Any public safety initiative we pursue must have the confidence and support of the community we intend to protect.
At the Hartford Police Department, we are committed to serving this community with integrity, transparency, and respect. We will continue to evaluate tools and programs that can make Hartford safer, but we will always consider the values and concerns of the people we are privileged to serve.
We want each one of you to feel your voice is heard in any decision we make! We will not take that for granted!
Thank you for your continued trust, your support, and the opportunity to serve this incredible community. We are grateful for each and every one of you.
— Chief Roger York
Hartford Police Department— Mayor Beau Wright
City of Hartford, Kentucky
