PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is investigating a former deputy who allegedly misused Flock camera surveillance data without authorization, raising new questions about who has access to the information and how it is being used.
The investigation follows an Oakland County Board of Commissioners meeting on Sept. 17, during which the sheriff's office defended Flock camera use while commissioners raised concerns — concerns they say they are now seeing play out in real time. Oakland County Commissioner Kristen Nelson has been raising privacy and oversight concerns about Flock technology before the sheriff's office made its announcement.
"Here we are, with an active criminal investigation being held... it adds a whole other layer of concerns," Nelson said.
You can watch Ruta Ulcinaite's full report below:
The sheriff's office announced this week that it was investigating a former deputy for the alleged breach. They say that at the time of the unauthorized access, the individual was no longer employed by Oakland County in any capacity.
Dan Farr has been pushing for Flock cameras to be removed from their communities, including from his city of St. Clair Shores. 7 News Detroit spoke with Farr after the St. Clair Shores City Council voted to cover its cameras for six months while officials reevaluate their contract.
"This is not something that we're spiking the football or happy about. It's something that really upsets me because I didn't want to be right about this when I looked into it myself," Farr said. "Nobody wants to be right about this when they say there's a problem with it, but it's kind of obvious there is."
In Eastpointe, city council voted last month to terminate its Flock contract after two employees with Eastpointe police used the system for personal purposes and in violation of department policy.
Paul Kerman, who's also concerned about Flock cameras, questioned where the data goes once it has been collected.
"If it was used specifically for... catching thieves and getting the cars that are stolen with the plates that go by, I understand that. What I don't understand is where does the data go afterwards? Whose got access to it?" Kerman asked.
That question — who has access — was also at the center of the Sept. 17 Oakland County Board of Commissioners meeting. Sheriff's office employees presented the technology as the county considered its FY 2027 Auto Theft Prevention Grant, stating that the data is securely stored.
Oakland County Sheriff's Chief Technology Officer Capt. Steve Schneider addressed how the data is protected.
"It is not a database that anybody else can just look into," Schneider said. "It's our database, our instance of that database, secured, encrypted, etc. And so we're very careful with that."
Questions remain, however, about how a former deputy allegedly gained unauthorized access. The investigation is active and remains ongoing.
"Sure, the sheriff's department does have policies — they're internal policies — yet, we don't know at this point are they enough?" Nelson asked.
In December, the board is expected to vote on whether to extend its Flock Safety drone program. Some residents say the technology can help solve crimes. Others say the potential privacy cost is simply too high.
Troy resident Justine Galbraith addressed the trade-off directly the Sept. 17 meeting.
"We can hear all the anecdotes about how Flock and other types of surveillance technology help recover cars and solve crimes, and I'm sure that they do. But your residents are telling you that it's not worth the privacy violations that it brings to all of us," Galbraith said.
_____________
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
