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License-plate readers · Macomb County

Macomb County

Using license-plate readers · 6 agencies documented

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Warren Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
22
22 Flock cameras in the October 2021 pilot (FOX 2). No current count found.
Contract
Flock Safety: $60,000 initial · from Oct. 2021 · 60-day pilot; about $60,000 up front with $55,000 covered by a grant. (FOX 2 Detroit, Oct. 13, 2021)
Contract
Flock Safety: $132,000 · from July 2026 · approved by Warren City Council (2026-07, 4-3) · Renewal reported by The Detroit News; term and per-year basis not stated in the opened republication. (The Detroit News (republished by GovTech), July 17, 2026)
  1. Oct. 2021 Police launched a 60-day Flock pilot with 22 cameras. (FOX 2 Detroit, Oct. 13, 2021)
  2. July 2026 City Council narrowly renewed the Flock contract, 4-3, for $132,000. (The Detroit News (republished by GovTech), July 17, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The 2026 renewal is cited from The Detroit News as republished by GovTech. The vote is given as 'Tuesday night' in a July 17 story (probably July 14). Individual votes not found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Sterling Heights Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
23
23 Flock cameras per WXYZ (Oct. 21, 2026). C&G reported a total of 28 after an Aug. 2025 purchase; the difference is unexplained.
Contract
Flock Safety: $19,300 first year · from 2025 · approved by Sterling Heights City Council (2025-08-06, 6-1) · Six additional cameras, paid from federal forfeiture funds. (C&G Newspapers, Aug. 15, 2025)
Contract
Flock Safety: $84,100 year (estimated) · from Dec. 2026 · to Dec. 2028 · approved by Sterling Heights City Council (2026-10, 4-3) · Two-year renewal; existing two-year contract expires in December 2026. Yearly figure is WXYZ's estimate. (WXYZ 7 News Detroit, Oct. 21, 2026)
  1. Aug. 6, 2025 City Council approved six more Flock cameras 6-1; Michael Radtke voted no. (C&G Newspapers, Aug. 15, 2025)
  2. Aug. 2026 At a council discussion of Flock, Chief Andy Satterfield defended the cameras and Councilwoman Liz Sierawski asked for evidence of results; residents and other members raised privacy questions. (FOX 2 Detroit, Aug. 5, 2026)
  3. Oct. 2026 City Council voted 4-3 to approve another two-year Flock contract after more than three hours of public comment. (WXYZ 7 News Detroit, Oct. 21, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The 2026 renewal vote is given as 'Tuesday night' in an Oct. 21 WXYZ story (probably Oct. 20); the August discussion as 'Wednesday night' in an Aug. 5 FOX 2 story.
  • Individual votes on the 2026 renewal not reported.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Clinton Township Police Department

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Flock Safety, Vendor not named in source
Cameras
8
Eight Flock cameras for the special investigations unit, approved April 2024 (C&G).
Contract
Flock Safety: $34,000 · from 2024 · approved by Clinton Township Board of Trustees (2024-04-15, 4-3) · Cameras; separately $16,632 for the CLEAR database and its license plate readers. (C&G Newspapers, April 20, 2024)
  1. April 15, 2024 Board of Trustees approved eight Flock cameras 4-3: yes Julie Matuzak, Tammy Patton, Supervisor Robert Cannon, Paul Gieleghem; no Dan Kress, Mike Keys, Clerk Kim Meltzer. (C&G Newspapers, April 20, 2024)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Capt. Brandon Blake told C&G that every other Macomb County municipality already had this technology.
  • The township also paid $16,632 for 'the CLEAR database and its license plate readers' (C&G); the provider was not named.
  • No 2025-2026 record found.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

St. Clair Shores Police Department

Status
Use suspended
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
12
12 Flock cameras (C&G April 2025; WXYZ Sept. 2026).
Contract
Flock Safety: $36,000 year · from 2025 · to 2030 · approved by St. Clair Shores City Council (2025-04-07, 5-0) · Five-year term plus $7,800 one-time installation, drug forfeiture funds. WXYZ (Sept. 2026) gives $35,000 per year. (C&G Newspapers, April 13, 2025; WXYZ 7 News Detroit, Sept. 14, 2026)
  1. April 7, 2025 City Council approved 12 Flock cameras 5-0 (two members excused). (C&G Newspapers, April 13, 2025)
  2. Sept. 2026 Officials covered the city's Flock cameras for a six-month pause while deciding whether to keep or drop them. (Axios Detroit, Sept. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Pause date: Axios (Sept. 24, 2026) said 'Monday', likely Sept. 21; only the month is used. How the pause was ordered (vote or administrative) not reported.
  • Police say each search must carry a case number and audits are monthly (WXYZ).

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Eastpointe Police Department

Status
Ended or removed
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
19
19 Flock cameras to be removed, per FOX 2 (Sept. 2026).
  1. Sept. 15, 2026 City Council voted 4-1 to end the Flock contract; Mayor Michael Klinefelt supported ending it and Council member Rob Baker voted no. City Manager Ryan Madis said ending it now was a mistake but better guardrails were needed. (FOX 2 Detroit, Sept. 16, 2026; Axios Detroit, Sept. 24, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Removal not confirmed in opened sources.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Shelby Township Police Department

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Flock Safety
Cameras
50
Approved for 50 cameras, per Sterling Heights' police chief (C&G, Aug. 2025).
  1. Aug. 2025 Sterling Heights' police chief said Shelby Township had just been approved for 50 Flock cameras. (C&G Newspapers, Aug. 15, 2025)
Conflicts and open questions
  • The camera count is the Sterling Heights chief's remark to C&G Newspapers (Aug. 15, 2025), not a Shelby Township record; CBS Detroit reported the department using the Flock network in November 2025.

Secondhand report; not yet confirmed with the agency.

Statewide

  1. Jan. 30, 2026 Michigan has no state statute governing automated license plate readers, leaving rules on use and data sharing to local governments, Bridge Michigan reported; it counted at least 125 county or municipal agencies with Flock Safety contracts. (Bridge Michigan, Jan. 30, 2026)
  2. Jan. 29, 2026 Reps. Douglas Wozniak (R-Shelby Township) and Jimmie Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti) introduced tie-barred House Bills 5492 and 5493, which would create a new act setting guidelines for plate reader systems. Both were referred to the House Judiciary Committee the same day; the Legislature's site lists no later committee or floor action. (Michigan Legislature, Jan. 29, 2026; Michigan Legislature, Jan. 29, 2026; Bridge Michigan, March 5, 2026)
  3. March 5, 2026 As described by Bridge Michigan, the House package would cap retention of plate reader data at 14 days, limit uses to listed purposes such as missing persons, stolen vehicles, warrants and criminal investigations, require public reports on use, and give drivers a path to legal recourse for misuse. (Bridge Michigan, March 5, 2026)
  4. April 22, 2026 The House Fiscal Agency issued a summary of HB 5492 and HB 5493 as introduced. (Michigan Legislature, Jan. 29, 2026; Michigan Legislature, Jan. 29, 2026)
  5. July 29, 2026 Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) introduced Senate Bill 1131, which is similar to the House bills but not a formal companion. It went to the Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety the same day, and no later action is listed. His office said it would require a warrant to search plate-reader data except during active criminal, missing-person or stolen-vehicle investigations, and would have unused data erased after 14 days. (Michigan Legislature, July 29, 2026; Office of State Sen. Jim Runestad, July 29, 2026; WWMT, July 30, 2026)
  6. July 27, 2026 Fifteen Democratic state lawmakers asked the Michigan Department of Transportation to end a maintenance memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Border Patrol Detroit Sector and Homeland Security Investigations covering plate readers, and to review surveillance deployments on state transportation property. MDOT said it was reviewing the letter and that law enforcement plate readers have been permitted along its trunklines for several years. (Michigan Advance, July 27, 2026)
  7. July 2026 MDOT said agencies placing a plate reader on an MDOT trunkline must agree to follow the Michigan State Police manual for license plate reader systems and commit that the data will not be used, sold or transferred for non-law-enforcement purposes. (Michigan Advance, July 27, 2026)
  8. Aug. 14, 2026 Flock Safety announced company-wide policy changes, reported in Michigan: default retention cut from 30 to 7 days (existing customers may keep their current period), an option for cities to choose which offenses allow outside agencies to search their data, and audit tools and case codes required for searches by year-end. WILX reported more than 180 Michigan law enforcement agencies use Flock cameras. (WILX, Aug. 14, 2026)
  9. Aug. 4, 2026 Michigan Public reported that more than 180 Michigan law enforcement agencies use the cameras. Ron Wiles of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police said some oversight may be warranted but cautioned against rules that would make the tool ineffective; an ACLU of Michigan policy strategist warned the data could be used to track sensitive personal information. (Michigan Public, Aug. 4, 2026)

State agencies

Michigan State Police

Status
Program documented, current use unconfirmed
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
Cameras
Count not documented
MSP did not disclose how many freeway readers it installed in its 2023 metro Detroit pilot (WXYZ, Feb. 2023). No current count found.
  1. Jan. 30, 2023 MSP began installing plate readers along the Southfield Freeway and I-96 in metro Detroit as a pilot it said would later expand statewide; it said images would be kept 30 days and used for serious and violent crimes, not traffic enforcement. (WXYZ, Feb. 2, 2023; FOX 2 Detroit, Feb. 1, 2023)
  2. March 2023 MSP said readers were in use on freeways in several parts of the state and that it wanted to expand them. (WILX, March 6, 2023)
  3. June 20, 2023 MSP Procedure Manual 07-13, 'License Plate Reader Systems,' took effect. Under it MSP stores no historical plate data itself (the provider it subscribes to holds the data), MSP's agreements ask providers to keep data from MSP hardware no more than 30 days, every query must cite an incident number, and outside agencies can get data by written request to MSP supervisors with confirmation of an ongoing criminal investigation. (Michigan State Police (PowerDMS public), June 20, 2023)
  4. July 2026 MDOT said its permits for plate readers on state trunklines require agencies to comply with the MSP license plate reader manual. (Michigan Advance, July 27, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Vendor for MSP's own readers not named in any source opened; the manual refers only to the provider MSP subscribes to.
  • The newest source on MSP's own readers is from 2023, so current use is marked unconfirmed.
  • No Michigan Attorney General opinion or action on plate readers was found.

From agency records.