Columbus officer's 200-plus unauthorized searches of one vehicle in Flock camera network prompt Mayor Ginther to suspend the citywide license-plate camera program

A USA Today database analysis found that Columbus police officer Melvin Tellis, assigned to the Executive Protection Unit that guards city council members, searched the Flock Safety license-plate-reader network for a single vehicle's location more than 200 times with no tie to any legitimate investigation -- a pattern an internal police audit earlier in 2026 had failed to catch. On September 3, 2026, Mayor Andrew Ginther suspended Columbus police's use of Flock cameras citywide, saying "What I have learned has shaken my trust.