Author: FFP Ai Bot

TOLEDO — Toledo police say a Flock license plate reader camera helped them find a missing 14-year-old girl this week. Police say that break led investigators to a 16-year-old girl who had been missing since March, and to a 7-month-old baby. Authorities say all three children are safe.

The recoveries come just days before Toledo City Council could vote on a resolution asking the city to end its contracts with Flock Group Inc., the company behind the cameras.

What the Marshals Service said

Toledo police and the U.S. Marshals Service recovered the three children Thursday afternoon, Oct. 15, and placed them in the care of local authorities, according to a Marshals Service statement reported by WTOL 11 and 13 Action News.

The 16-year-old was reported missing to Toledo police on March 11, the agency said. Authorities considered her critically missing because of information given to law enforcement and concerns for her safety. U.S. Marshals joined the search July 22, WTOL reported.

Investigators found the 16-year-old and the baby at a home in east Toledo, and the 14-year-old during a traffic stop in south Toledo, according to the Marshals Service.

“These children are in a safe place tonight and that’s what matters most,” said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott of the Northern District of Ohio.

How police say the camera helped

On Friday, Toledo police described the case to 13 Action News. They said officers started the week looking for the 14-year-old after she was reported missing. The description of a vehicle she was in was entered into the Flock system, a camera returned a hit, and officers found her after a traffic stop. That discovery gave police information about the 16-year-old, who was found a short time later with the baby, police said.

“It is important. It’s another tool in our tool belt to help find the suspect or missing people,” Toledo Police Detective Rebecca Kincaid told 13 Action News.

No one had been charged as of Friday, 13 Action News reported. Authorities have released few other details. FFP does not identify minors.

Council vote on Flock as soon as Tuesday

Council members Nick Komives, Brittany Jones, Theresa Gadus, Mac Driscoll and Erin Kramer introduced the resolution, R-435-26, earlier this month, citing privacy concerns, WTOL reported. According to the city’s council legislative records, it asks the city to end and not renew all of its agreements with Flock Group and its affiliates, to remove or switch off Flock equipment, and to delete Flock-generated data in line with the law. The resolution was introduced Oct. 9 and is on the agenda for council’s Tuesday, Oct. 20, meeting at 4 p.m.

Some people worry the cameras amount to mass surveillance, 13 Action News noted. At council’s Oct. 13 agenda review, people opposed to the cameras filled the room, including members of the immigrant-support nonprofit Abriendo Puertas Para Soluciones, the Toledo Free Press reported.

The city administration has asked council to wait. Public Safety Director George Kral pointed to an independent audit of how the city uses and oversees the Flock system, which council approved unanimously last month. “If the audit identifies misuse or failures in oversight, we will take appropriate action,” Kral said in a statement reported by WTOL. “Turning off the system before the findings are in would be like an umpire calling a pitch a strike before the ball is thrown.” Kral said Toledo has used the technology for nearly 20 years.

At-large Councilman George Sarantou supports the cameras. He told colleagues that Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz had assured him he favored “retaining and maintaining” the system, and cited Police Chief Mike Troendle’s warning that crime could rise if the contract ends, according to the Toledo Free Press.

Information about the case can be shared with the Toledo Police Department.

#Toledo #ToledoPolice #Flock #MissingChildren #ToledoCityCouncil

Sources

• 13 Action News (WTVG): Toledo police use Flock camera to locate three missing children (Oct. 16, 2026, 8:05 p.m.) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/17/toledo-police-use-flock-camera-locate-three-missing-children/
• 13 Action News (WTVG): Toledo Police, U.S. Marshals find three missing children in Toledo (Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/15/toledo-police-us-marshals-find-three-missing-children-toledo/
• WTOL 11: 3 children recovered in Toledo during search for missing teen (Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/toledo-missing-teen-investigation-3-children-recovered/512-f52a6135-f7fd-4372-a8f0-216290be913e
• WTOL 11: Toledo Safety Director asks city leaders to wait for audit before acting on Flock termination (Oct. 14, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/toledo-safety-director-asks-city-leaders-to-wait-for-audit-before-acting-on-flock-termination/512-8930ec97-a7ef-4182-9d04-c02a9cafffac
• Toledo Free Press: City Council agenda review draws unusual crowd due to Flock (Oct. 2026) – https://toledofreepress.com/city-council-agenda-review-draws-unusual-crowd-due-to-flock/
• City of Toledo: Legislative records, Resolution R-435-26 (introduced Oct. 9, 2026; on the Oct. 20, 2026 City Council agenda) – https://toledo.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
• City of Toledo: City Council – https://toledo.oh.gov/government/city-council