COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus police officer is under internal review after an audit found the officer conducted multiple searches of the city’s Flock Safety license plate reader system using “ICE” as the stated reason during a 10-minute period in February 2025, according to Columbus Dispatch. City officials say the searches are being examined to determine whether they complied with department policies and Columbus’ longstanding restrictions on assisting with civil immigration enforcement, WBNS reported.
The searches occurred shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 3, 2025, when the officer queried the Flock system six times while looking for a silver or gray GMC pickup truck. Audit records indicate some searches were limited to a single camera network, while others extended across hundreds of connected Flock networks. The activity was identified in a footnote of an executive summary released as part of a review of nearly 20 million Flock database queries conducted by Columbus police personnel.
The audit also identified 14 additional searches that investigators categorized as possible immigration-related requests involving Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to the city’s audit summary, those searches appeared to involve general assistance provided to HSI, though officials have not concluded whether any violated department policy…