Toledo's incoming police chief takes over Nov. 1, defends Flock cameras as council weighs ending deal
Illustration: Press Pass USAToledo's incoming police chief, Kevin Braun, is set to take over on November 1 — and he is already staking out a position on one of the city's most debated policing tools: he supports continued use of Flock license-plate cameras.
Braun defended the cameras even as Toledo City Council weighs a resolution that could end the city's agreements around them. The Flock system — automated cameras that read license plates — has drawn scrutiny in cities across the country over privacy and data-sharing concerns, while police departments credit the technology with helping solve crimes.
The leadership change comes at a sensitive moment for the department, which has spent the past week managing the aftermath of the chemical leak that forced evacuations and shelter-in-place orders in the city before an all-clear was issued October 23. Braun's first days in the job will test how he balances the department's investigative tools with the council's direction on surveillance policy.
Sources: 13 Action News / WTVG (Oct 23–24, 2026); WTOL 11 (Oct 23, 2026).
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