ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. – St. Clair Shores has covered its 12 Flock cameras after residents raised concerns about privacy, data sharing and potential misuse of the technology.
The St. Clair Shores City Council voted Monday to place bags over the cameras and revisit the city’s contract with Flock in March.
The cameras had been used to capture images of vehicles entering the city.
Council members approved a five-year contract with Flock in April 2025.
Some council members who supported the contract said their views changed after hearing from residents who opposed the cameras.
“The best way to calm our residents, I would feel, to let them know that we’re really hearing them, was a drastic measure, and that was with the covering up and putting the bags on the Flock cameras,” said Council Member Linda Bertges.
“I’ve talked to hundreds of people about this, and they’re very opinionated about what they want,” said Council Member David Rubello. “They don’t want them.”
Police Chief Jason Allen said the cameras have helped lead to more than 40 arrests and the recovery of multiple stolen vehicles over the past year.
He said officers must have a legitimate law enforcement reason and a complaint number to search the system.
Allen said officers receive training, searches are audited monthly, and an automated system flags unusual activity, including repeated searches of the same license plate.
The cameras capture still images of vehicles, including their make, model, color and license plate.
Allen said the system does not use facial recognition, monitor people, or detect speeding.
“The cameras face inward into the city, so they’re kind of like a perimeter around the city,” Allen said at the meeting. “When a vehicle drives into the city, it captures the rear of the vehicle as the vehicle drives away from the camera.”
Despite the current safeguards, some residents are still concerned about who can access the data and how it could be used.
Last week in neighboring Eastpointe, police revealed that two officers had been found to have misused the technology.
“Those type of vulnerabilities are shared on a network and there’s nothing — our chief can do it by the book — it doesn’t matter on a shared network,” said resident Daniel Farr.
Farr said he supports covering the cameras so residents have more time to learn about the technology and weigh in.
“Never have the people even had a chance to vote on it,” Farr said. “It’s always been councils, it’s always been police departments, it’s always been township votes.”
Council members also raised questions about Flock’s transparency portal, data retention and the agencies that can access information.
The city currently retains camera data for 30 days and shares it with several agencies, though Allen said the department does not currently share data with federal or out-of-state agencies.
The cameras were funded through the city’s Drug Law Enforcement Fund rather than the general fund.
The city has 12 cameras at an annual cost of about $3,000 per camera, in addition to installation costs during the first year.
Mayor Kip Walby told Local 4 he was out of town and unavailable for an interview Wednesday evening.
Allen didn’t immediately return a request for an interview.
The council is expected to reconsider the Flock contract at its second meeting in March.
