Sign the Flock No Open Letter
The Flock No campaign began with an open letter in November 2025 asking the Administration and City Council to reconsider an ordinance authorizing a major contract expansion with Flock Safety. The proposed expansion has since been shelved (thanks in large part to resident pushback) and now we’re circulating an updated letter asking that the Administration also cancel the City’s existing Flock contract when it comes up for renewal in June. Click the link below to sign on!
Email Mayor Bibb and the Board of Control directly
On April 8th, 2026, Cleveland's Board of Control — an unelected body made up of members of Mayor Justin Bibb’s cabinet and several departmental heads — renewed the city's $850,000 ShotSpotter gunshot detection contract for another year. The Board did not post a meeting agenda indicating this renewal was under discussion, and they failed to consult the City Council beforehand.
Flock No is concerned that the Administration may soon attempt to renew the City’s contract for Flock Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in a similarly undemocratic manner. We are asking folks to email Mayor Bibb, Public Safety Director Wayne Drummond, and the other Board of Control members to tell them we won’t accept this sort of back room deal for Flock. Here is some sample text (feel free to edit):
To Mayor Justin Bibb and Director Wayne Drummond,
I am writing to express my frustration with the Board of Control's decision to renew the city’s ShotSpotter contract without any public notice or meaningful transparency. Independent research shows this technology has not reduced crime in Cleveland and has actually hurt emergency response times and yet you're spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on it.
This kind of back-channel decision-making through an appointed body with no direct accountability to residents is exactly the opposite of what our city needs. It erodes public trust and ignores the concerns of the people you're supposed to serve.
I'm also calling on the Administration and Board of Control to not repeat this pattern with other surveillance contracts, including the city’s agreement with Flock Safety for ALPRs. No more back room deals made by unelected boards. No more wasteful spending on unproven tools that violate our privacy. Redirect those resources to real community needs, not surveillance.
Sincerely,
[name]
Sign up for public comment
Public comment is one of the most visible ways residents can get in front of electeds on the record. Flock No is encouraging residents to participate in public comment at Cleveland City Council meetings to tell the Administration and City Council that we want ALPRs off our streets!
To do public comment, residents must register between noon Wednesday and 2 pm on the Monday before a regular 7 pm Council meeting. Only the first 10 registrations are accepted, and every speaker is allotted up to three minutes. City Council meetings are held weekly up until Memorial Day, and then less regularly throughout the summer.