STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – Sterling Heights police defended the department’s use of Flock license plate reader cameras during a City Council meeting Wednesday, as some council members and residents raised privacy and data-sharing concerns.
Police Chief Andrew Satterfield said the cameras capture images of license plates and vehicles at major intersections and roadways, but do not identify people, use facial recognition or provide officers with personal information about drivers.
“What the cameras do is they capture a snapshot in time of a vehicle going through a major intersection or major roadway; it captures the plate, and it’s circumstantial evidence that our investigators use to piece that together,” Satterfield said.
Satterfield said the data is deleted after 30 days unless it is flagged for a criminal investigation, and that command staff audits Flock searches monthly. He said the department uses the technology an average of 10 to 20 times per day and shares access with other departments, but said searches require a case number or reason for the search.
The police department operates 24 Flock cameras throughout the city.
The city also has a transparency dashboard that shows the number of searches Sterling Heights police have made in the last 30 days and information about what the cameras are used for.
Council Member Michael Radtke said he was concerned about the scope of the system and the number of searches, calling it mass surveillance and questioning whether the tool is safe.
While federal agencies don’t have access to the city’s Flock system, some council members and Mayor Michael Taylor raised concerns about giving access to neighboring police departments that do have federal partnerships.
“I don’t feel like this mass surveillance is a good thing; I think that the number of searches we’re doing compared to the number of searches that are being done on our system is scary to me,” Radtke said.
Several residents voiced concerns over data accessibility during public comments.
“Flock is a data broker. They’re really not interested in selling systems to you; they’re interested in selling data nationwide,” said John Coski.
Satterfield said the department often uses the technology to help solve crimes like hit-and-runs, robberies, and to locate missing persons.
“There’s a lot of things and other situations that this is a great tool for our officers; it’s going to take a lot to convince me that it’s not,” said Council Member Maria Schmidt.
The police department offered to provide individual demonstrations for council members to show how the system works and how searches are audited.
Council members also discussed drafting an ordinance that would make misuse of the technology a misdemeanor and exploring ways to limit access for departments that have partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Radtke said the city’s Flock contract is set to automatically renew in December unless reviewed by the City Council.