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Metro Detroit police accused of using Flock to help ICE
SE Michigan police are being accused of using Flock cameras and other license plate readers to help ICE by the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - License plate readers, like Flock cameras, continue to be a controversial topic as more Metro Detroit cities have voted to end their security contracts.
The backstory:
New concerns are being raised that local law enforcement agencies could be using the Flock data to aid Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. It all started as a Detroit News analysis of USA Today data for an investigation.
Each scenario depends on each department, but five incidents mentioned in the investigation included the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, as well as police departments in Brownstown, Southfield, Taylor and Troy.
Each department had a different scenario with Flock assisting in cases.
Oakland County Sheriff's Office Flock case
Dig deeper:
The sheriff's office had an ex-employee who was allegedly accessing Flock data and looking up information, although FOX is still working to get to the bottom of exactly what were looking up.
An office spokesperson did respond, saying this is an ex-employee, and there could be criminal charges that result from it.
Taylor Police Flock case
Dig deeper:
In Taylor, the chief said there is a level of partnership with ICE. Chief John Blair said the department is not going to do anything different than they were doing in the past, and if someone is here illegally, it will work with the feds on the case.
FOX 2 also looked into cases in Brownstown, Southfield and Troy where they were looking up immigration information with ICE in cross-connected cases.
Flock in Southfield, Troy
Dig deeper:
In Troy, they had a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation going on where ICE got involved.
In Southfield, a human trafficking case escalated into being outside of Michigan. That's when ICE got involved.
What they're saying:
Christine Sauve is with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
"We've increasingly seen a lot of local law enforcement agencies inappropriately – and in some cases – unlawfully getting involved in immigration enforcement," she said. "So it's not surprising then to see those agencies using one more tool like an automatic license plate reader to aid in those efforts."
The other side:
Mario Bastianelli is a retired police captain who is now with the Fortis Group.
"Those cameras are taking pictures of vehicles traveling on public roadways. You know, you have no expectation to privacy when you're on a public roadway," he said. "Every department is different in who they allow access to their information. So it's not just free reign, people shouldn't assume that. I know there's a lot of agencies that won't allow agencies outside of the state of Michigan to access it.
"You know, some agencies might. Every department's different in what they feel comfortable with allowing who to share that information with. And that's good, because it puts restrictions on a system and availability information to people that may be shouldn't access it."
Every department is different and every city appears to be different with this.
Milford is the latest to end their contract with Flock, last night.
The Source: Information for this report is from the reporter contacting multiple police departments and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Christine Sauve with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and Mario Bastianelli with the Fortis Group were also interviewed.