Flock cameras coming down in Westland; councilmember says contract not renewed

FOX 2 - The latest development in the backlash against Flock cameras is underway in Westland.

Flock cameras, which are automated license plate readers used by law enforcement and placed along roads and highways, will soon be a thing of the past, there.

Local perspective:

Westland Councilperson Melissa Sampey posted on her Facebook page that Chief of police Kyle Dawley will 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."

She added that the current Flock cameras placed around the city will remain so, until the contract expires within the next month, before coming down afterward.

Sampey said that it is an example of city officials listening to residents, many of whom voiced concern about the cameras.

Discussion over recent months in the community and at public meetings raised important questions over privacy, government surveillance, transparency, and oversight, she said.

"Regardless of where people stood on the issue, civic engagement made a difference," she said. "This is a reminder that resident voices matter, and when our community gets involved, we can help shape the decisions that affect Westland."

What they're saying:

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.

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.

One month earlier, Oakland County approved a Flock drone pilot program despite opposition, to put seven license plate reader cameras in the sky which automatically deploy for emergencies.

One month ago, residents in Pontiac were balking 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.

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.

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

What you can do:

Numerous websites have emerged in the past couple 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." 

Crime and Public SafetyWestlandPontiacFerndale