STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – Sterling Heights City Council is calling for greater oversight of the city’s Flock license plate reader program, demanding a full year of LOGS as privacy concerns continue to grow across Metro Detroit.
The city operates 24 Flock cameras that capture license plates and vehicle information on passing cars. While police say the technology has been a powerful crime-fighting tool, some council members -- and residents -- want to know exactly how the data is being used and who has access to it.
Council member pushes for answers
Councilmember Michael Radtke Jr. has been a vocal critic of the Flock program and is now formally requesting that the Sterling Heights Police Department hand over a year’s worth of records.
“While this is a tremendous tool for law enforcement, my fear is more the slippery slope of how this could be misused in the future,” Radtke said. “We need to make sure there are firm safeguards in place and punishments if it’s misused.”
Radtke said his concern extends beyond Sterling Heights.
“I have tremendous confidence in our police department. I don’t have confidence in every other police department, and essentially once you’re in the system, you’re there for good,” he said.
Residents raise alarms
The push follows last week’s City Council meeting, where several residents voiced concerns about the license plate readers and how their personal data is being handled.
“I know my data is in there, my son’s data is in there, my wife’s data is in there,” one resident said during public comment.
“I am far from convinced that it is exactly worth it,” another said.
A third resident questioned “how that data is being shared” and “who is given access to it.”
Police defend the technology
Sterling Heights police say the cameras have proven invaluable. During that same council meeting, the police chief defended the program and noted the department has increased its audits from yearly to monthly.
“The Flock technology in law enforcement is probably the best law enforcement tool since the discovery of fingerprints and DNA -- a useful tool for us to solve crimes,” said Police Chief Andrew Satterfield.
Police also pushed back on the idea that license plate readers represent a new kind of surveillance, saying the technology is no different than being exposed to cellphones or Ring cameras, which can also monitor individuals.
What the data shows -- and doesn’t show
According to the city’s online transparency portal, the cameras detect only license plates and vehicles -- not people.
Data is retained for 30 days, unless it is connected to a crime or active investigation. In that 30-day window, the system captured more than one million unique license plates, with the department running 451 searches.
The dashboard also states the data is for the Sterling Heights Police Department only and is never sold to third parties.
Cities opting out, legislation on the way
Sterling Heights is not alone in navigating this debate. The cities of Clawson, Ferndale, Milford and Westland have all declined to renew their Flock contracts over similar privacy concerns.
At the state level, Michigan Sen. Jim Runestad has introduced Senate Bill 1131, which would impose strict privacy rules on automatic license plate readers. The bill proposes requiring search warrants for database access and setting a 14-day data deletion limit.
Sterling Heights is expected to vote on renewing its Flock contract sometime in August. The police department says it plans to provide more information to the council before that vote.