ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — St. Clair Shores residents are calling on the city to shut down its 12 Flock license plate reader cameras while officials decide whether the surveillance system should remain in place.
Watch Peter's story in the video player below:
The cameras were approved by city council in 2025 under a five-year agreement costing $35,000 per year, funded through drug forfeiture money. City officials say data captured by the cameras is retained for only 30 days.
Designed to capture vehicle information, the cameras give law enforcement a tool to track vehicles connected to crimes, find missing people and identify stolen license plates.
But some residents say the safeguards don't go far enough — raising questions about who can access the data and where it could ultimately end up.
"We adopted a system that is very invasive, very controversial, tied into a network that we don't know anything about," Daniel Farr, a St. Clair Shores resident, said.
Farr was among residents who packed a city council meeting last week, calling on the city to shut the cameras down. A week later, the cameras are still operating.
"If we want it removed, I want them to remove it for us; that's their job," Farr said.
Fellow resident Michael Foyt said his concerns center on the potential for misuse.
"I am against Flock right now, but that's only because I see the misuse with it," Foyt said.
"Our justice system is based on the face you're innocent until proven guilty. But like where does it stop if you have systems that are in place that just go out and search for crime," Foyt said.
I spoke with Mayor Kip Walby, who said he hears residents' concerns and is working with the police department to provide an update at the first city council meeting in October.
"We are going to provide updated information, but we are trying to give and have a quality presentation and wait another meeting or so to make sure that our presentation is well thought out and delivered," Walby said.
Internal documents show St. Clair Shores Police Department policy includes safeguards requiring every search to be tied to a case number, tracking who has access to the system and requiring monthly audits. The policy also allows the department to share data with other authorized law enforcement agencies for legitimate law enforcement purposes.
Farr said the stakes are too high to let the issue go.
"This is not repaving the golf course parking lot or getting a sewer contract; this is literally one of our constitutional rights," Farr said.
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