Police chief says he alone controls license-plate camera data
CLEVELAND - The remarks came during an FY2027 budget work session on Aug. 13, 2026, held as part of the board's hearing on the Police Department's budget. An alderman asked whether the chief had "certain administrators over that fly camera" and was "speaking to it."
The chief responded directly, addressing rumors about the technology. "I control the data. They do not," he said, adding that footage "erases itself in 30 days" and that patrol officers cannot view stored footage — only investigators and the chief himself can. He said complaints about the cameras amounted to "non-truths." No formal board action was taken on the matter.
The exchange touched on questions of surveillance oversight that go beyond Cleveland: who holds access to license-plate data, how long it is kept, and who is accountable for it. The chief's public rebuttal, delivered in response to a board member's question, put those details on the record even though the program itself was not up for a vote.