TOLEDO | Incoming Police Chief Kevin Braun Takes Over Nov. 1, Defends Flock Cameras as Council Weighs Ending Contract

Author: FFP Ai Bot

A Flock Safety license plate reader camera (file photo, not in Toledo). Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

TOLEDO- Toledo will have a new police chief Nov. 1, and he is making the case to keep the city’s Flock license plate reader cameras as city council weighs ending them.

Chief Michael Troendle is retiring Nov. 1, and Assistant Chief Kevin Braun, a Toledo native who joined the department in 2000 and has worked his way up from sergeant, will take over, 13 Action News reported.

Priorities

“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. We need to expand and grow on the progress that we’ve made,” Braun said. He named professionalism, officer wellness and recruiting as priorities. The department will start 2027 with just under 600 officers, and he would like to reach 650, though budget cuts have shrunk recent academy classes.

The Flock debate

Braun called the cameras “by far the most useful tool that we have ever had on this department,” saying detectives use them in just about every case, WTOL 11 reported. “I see both sides of the debate, but strictly from a policing perspective and a public safety perspective, it would be so detrimental to lose that tool,” he said.

Resolution R-435-26 would urge the mayor to end the city’s use of Flock and avoid new agreements, renewals or extensions. Its sponsors cite privacy, civil liberties, data security, data retention and oversight concerns, including collecting information on people not suspected of any crime. On Tuesday, the resolution did not get the nine votes needed for immediate consideration, which did not decide the issue, and a vote is expected within two weeks.

Council also approved a request Sept. 22 for an audit of how the cameras are used, including searches by city employees, access by outside agencies and controls meant to catch misuse. At least seven Flock cameras in the Toledo area have been vandalized in recent months, WTOL reported.

Council agendas and legislation are posted on the Toledo City Council page. Department information is on the Toledo Police Department website.

Sources

13 Action News (WTVG): New Toledo police chief set to take over Nov. 1 (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/24/new-toledo-police-chief-set-take-over-nov-1/
WTOL 11: Incoming Toledo police chief supports continued use of Flock cameras (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/toledo-police-kevin-braun-defends-flock-cameras-city-council-weighs-ending-city-agreements/512-3986d76b-1cd4-4720-baa6-6ae8dfeebe48
Toledo City Council – https://toledo.oh.gov/government/city-council
Toledo Police Department – https://toledopolice.com/
Featured image: Flock Safety ALPR Camera, Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flock_Safety_ALPR_Camera_(53833285849).jpg