Metro Detroit Flock camera vandalism continues; surveillance complaints persist

FOX 2 - The latest development in the backlash against license plate reader cameras is reports of vandalism across Metro Detroit.

Dig deeper:

Police say the cameras help solve crimes and find missing people. License plate reader cameras or LPRs, include the most popular brand, Flock, are being used in numerous cities and counties in Michigan.

Discussion over recent months has been a hot topic at public meetings, raising questions over privacy, government surveillance, transparency, and oversight.

Some critics of Flock cameras have gone further, illegally vandalizing them by breaking the readers or in some cases cutting them down. 

Camera vandalism incidents

The backstory:

Cameras like Flock, which can be seen alongside highways and roads across Michigan, are becoming a target as the debate over police surveillance heats up.

Oakland County officials say people are damaging or disabling cameras in several communities, including:

• Birmingham
• Novi
• Pontiac
• Waterford
• West Bloomfield

Last month, two cameras were damaged in Novi while West Bloomfield has seen repeated vandalism at some locations. 

In Waterford, several cameras were ripped from their mounts and smashed back in February, leading to felony charges against a Clarkston man.

How do Flock cameras work?

Big picture view:

Photos are snapped of every passing vehicle, while artificial intelligence then catalogs the state license plate, plate number, vehicle make, model, color and records unique appearance details. This could mean dents.

AI extracts the plate number, state, vehicle make, model, color, and specific traits like dents.

When vehicle descriptions are reported, the information is cross-checked by AI which results in a "hit" for investigators. 

Privacy concerns raised

Dig deeper:

Police say that the cameras are not used for traffic enforcement, they do not take photos of the vehicle's occupants and there is no facial recognition technology.

Despite the reassurances that the cameras don't capture faces, the technology has led to some stereotyping fears, worries about how data is being stored, and concerns about the surveillance of innocent people.

Worries about reader misuse even led to the American Civil Liberties Union proposing guidelines that law enforcement agencies should follow if they choose to implement the technology.

Different communities have pushed back through more legal means, however. 

Westland

Local perspective:

In July Westland Councilperson Melissa Sampey posted on her Facebook page that Chief of police Kyle Dawley would not be bringing the contract before trustees for a vote on renewing it.

"We have received confirmation from the Westland Police Chief that he has decided not to bring the Flock camera contract before City Council for a vote," she said in her post. "It was clear Council was deeply divided on the issue."

The cameras are coming down this month, with the contract having been allowed to end.

Ferndale

Local perspective:

In Ferndale, residents pushed back on the Flock cameras and the city responded by severing its contract with the company in November, 2025.

The decision was made by the police department after hearing concerns about the company, including how data is used and accessed. But the city still wants to have license plate readers, and was looking for a new vendor at the time.

Pontiac

Local perspective:

In June residents balked at the use of Flock cameras, complaining about surveillance at a city hearing.

In addition to Flock cameras, the city is also using a version of Detroit's ShotSpotter technology which detects gunfire and pinpoints the location for first responders. 

Flock's version is called Raven, and residents have claimed it amounts to over-policing of minority communities.

Flock cameras crack cases

The other side:

Ferndale officials credited Flock cameras with helping solve several big crimes, namely a murder in the city and a double murder in neighboring Hazel Park.

In May, an armed carjack suspect wanted in Lake Orion was tracked down in part, due to license plate reader cameras which indicated the suspect's vehicle was heading northbound, then flooded that area with support.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard credited the hit that the roadside cameras produced with being able to locate and flood the area with police  and taking the suspect off the streets sooner.

Flock camera discontent

Meanwhile:

Numerous websites have emerged in the past couple of years revealing locations of Flock cameras.

The demand behind the sites is fueled by concerns over surveillance and personal information protection, among other issues.

Sites like DeFlock and Flock Hopper have grown in popularity. 

A message on Flock Hopper claims, "Plan routes that avoid Flock and ALPR cameras. Explore 90,000+ surveillance cameras and build privacy-first routes across the United States." 

On social media numerous online accounts have dedicated time to cover council meetings around the area, getting involved in the discourse against Flock cameras and those like it.