Four Flock cameras in Gahanna have been cut down or destroyed since late July, and state lawmakers are now pushing to pull the surveillance technology from Ohio highways entirely.

Gahanna spokesperson Dan Pearlman confirmed the four incidents to NBC4. Damage exceeded $1,000 in at least three cases, making those incidents felonies under Ohio law. Only one camera has been replaced. No arrests have been announced.

The most recent vandalism was discovered Aug. 30 at Cherry Bottom Road and Morse Road, where officers found a camera pole cut in half and the camera missing. On Aug. 14, Parks and Recreation staff mowing near North Stygler Road and Ridenour Road found another camera cut down, leaving about two feet of pole in the ground. Two more cameras, near Agler Road and Penny Lane and near Mill Street and Granville Street, were also damaged.

The local destruction comes as a bipartisan group of four state representatives formally demanded the Ohio Department of Transportation stop approving new Flock cameras on state highways and revoke existing permits. Reps. Tristan Rader, D-Lakewood, Levi Dean, R-Xenia, Darnell Brewer, D-Cleveland, and Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County, signed the Sept. 1 letter to ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn. WBNS reported on the letter Sept. 12.

The lawmakers asked Boratyn to publicly disclose how many cameras have been permitted, who operates them and the terms of their placement. They cited Florida's Department of Transportation, which on Aug. 31 revoked existing approvals and stopped issuing new ones, citing misuse and privacy concerns.

"The government should not be able to track everyone, everywhere, all the time just in case someone might someday become the subject of an investigation," Rader said, according to Tiffin Ohio reporting.

Dean announced plans Sept. 3 to introduce the Ohio Freedom from Mass Surveillance Act. The bill would name Flock cameras directly, prohibit government agencies from deploying mass surveillance technology and require a search warrant before accessing footage, Fox 8 reported.

Gahanna is not alone in dealing with vandalism. Hilliard reported 12 instances of Flock camera damage between April 4 and Aug. 18. Hebron police said four cameras were damaged July 29. Prairie Township reported three vandalized cameras, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.

The Flock debate has also entered the governor's race. Democratic candidate Amy Acton's campaign said the cameras pose serious privacy risks to Ohioans and voiced support for the lawmakers' effort, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. The campaign said Acton would back legislation banning Flock statewide.

Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that Flock cameras would "not ever be used" to spy on individuals in private spaces. The Ohio Capital Journal noted that Flock cameras do not capture vehicle interiors. Ramaswamy's campaign did not respond to the outlet's request to clarify whether he supports the cameras' ordinary use.

Libertarian candidate Don Kissick described his opposition to the cameras as "unwavering," according to Signal Cleveland.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther paused that city's Flock program on approximately Sept. 3 after a USA Today investigation found a Columbus police officer searched the same license plate 272 times between November 2023 and December 2024. Reynoldsburg Mayor Joe Begeny announced Wednesday, Sept. 9 that his city would discontinue its Flock system and remove the cameras.

ODOT has not publicly responded to the lawmakers' letter. Gahanna officials have not said whether the legislative push changes the city's plans for its Flock program.