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Flock cameras debated in Sterling Heights
Some say they're an effective law enforcement tool. Others say they're too invasive. City council members and residents met tonight to discuss Flock cameras. Some support them. Others oppose them.
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Flock cameras are becoming a point of contention in the City of Sterling Heights on Wednesday night.
What is a Flock Camera?
Big picture view:
Flock cameras are described as automated license plate readers owned by Flock Safety. They use AI to read and record license plates and vehicle details. Though they appear on Metro Detroit roads, some also can be seen in parks and trails where vehicles don't normally go.
They are not hard to spot as you drive down roads like Woodward, Telegraph, or even a small side street. They normally sit on black or gray poles with a camera strapped to the side. A big giveaway is the small solar panel at the very top.
Some residents in Metro Detroit say they're an effective law enforcement tool. However, others say they're too invasive.
Sterling Heights City council members and residents met tonight to discuss Flock cameras. Some support them. Others oppose them.
Why are police departments for Flock Cameras?
What they're saying:
Sterling Heights Police Chief Andy Satterfield asked people to hear the department out first. Satterfield spoke before the city council and gave a detailed explanation of how Flock cameras work, saying they're designed to help officers fight crime.
"Flock cameras are just a phenomenal law enforcement tool," said Satterfield. "I want the public to know that they're not an overly invasive tool. It's taking a snapshot of a vehicle and license plate at a specific moment in time on the main roads. We're not violating any privacy issues or constitutional rights. It's just roadways, and it's just one little tool investigators can use to help build a case if they need to do so."
But some city council members said it's the surveillance aspect that concerns them.
They raised several questions:
- How much surveillance is too much?
- Who collects the data?
- And who else has access to it?
"Can we get some data about successes, actual scientific data?" asked Councilwoman Liz Sierawski. "It takes a hit-and-run or kidnapping, it usually takes 5 days to solve it. Will flock be able to solve in a matter of a day or less? Does flock collect that type of data? How do they sell their product?"
"You know, I think right now, Flock is under such a microscope that it’d be foolish to do anything because everybody’s watching," said Councilwoman Maria G. Schmidt. "And quite frankly, I personally am more afraid of ‘AI’ than I am of Flock."
Some residents say they share those same concerns.
"I'm very opposed. It's not just that company personally," said resident Tabu Gantt II. "I don't want us to get rid of them and replace them with another company like Axiom. I'm against warrantless surveillance and the collection of our data by a private company, and they said more than 1,800 partner institutions can request our data without a warrant or affirmative approval. It just seems like an invasion of our privacy. A few years from now, they're going to say this was all illegal in the first place."
The other side:
The expansion of Flock has led to groups, like ‘DeFlock’ spreading details about the location of thousands of cameras, especially in Metro Detroit.
It comes as many communities have begun to reject the company from installing Flock cameras in their cities.
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The Source: FOX 2 used information from previous reporting, Police Chief Andy Satterfield and the Sterling Heights City Council in this report.