Could Flock Cameras be Finished in Ferndale? Council to Vote on Contract Renewal
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct. 9, 2025)
Ferndale, MI – The debate is on in the Ferndale community over the future of Flock license plate reading cameras. Police say the cameras are providing vital clues to solving crimes, while community members worry about the use of those cameras to invade privacy, profit off data, and potentially violate civil rights.
And ultimately it will be up to City Council to decide, with a vote anticipated on Oct 13 to either approve or decline a new contract.
Ferndale originally approved a pilot program with Flock in March of 2023. Due to delays, installation of cameras didn’t begin until Feb 2024, with the final camera going up in May of 2024. Eight cameras were approved by City Council to be funding with drug forfeiture funds, and an additional 8 were funded by private donations. One camera was removed in Nov 2024 because it was not providing much data, leaving the city with 15 cameras in service.
The proposed contract moving forward calls for the removal of 7 cameras, leaving 9. The remaining cameras would be left on the busiest streets – Woodward Ave, 8 Mile, and 9 Mile. Cameras photograph license plates and run the numbers through a database to see if vehicles are on a “hot list,” meaning that they are of interest to a law enforcement agency. This can be for identifying vehicles that may be tied to a criminal investigation, as well as those tied to missing persons.
The images are also digitally stored for 30 days, so that if a crime is reported, investigators can search the images for vehicles that may have been involved.
If approved, the cost would be $3,000 per camera per year. With a two year contract the total cost would be $54,000.
Ferndale Police Chief Dennis Emmi shared information about the program at the Sept. 29 council meeting. The meeting was also attended by residents who spoke at public comment opposing the Flock system. Additionally a letter was read into the record by Councilperson Donnie Johnson that was signed by 151 residents urging the city not to renew.
The Chief shared statistics about Flock’s use in Ferndale, along with examples of how the technology has helped solve crimes. From July 1, 2024 through Aug 1, 2025, Flock captured an average of 140,300 images per day. In this time there were 12,282 plates that came up on the ‘hot list,’ meaning they were in the system for tracking. In a previous discussion with Oakland County Times, Chief Emmi said hot list hits often come from vehicles reported stolen in nonviolent ways, such as people failing to return a rental car on time, or those that are tied to a civil dispute such as someone taking a car that is in a family member or partner’s name. If the vehicle was suspected to be taken in a criminal way, such as a car theft or car jacking, the hot list alert would contain that information, making it easier for officers to discern how high a level of priority it would be to make a stop on the vehicle.
Ferndale Police used Flock in their own investigations 123 times in this time period. They closed 12 cases with arrests and had an additional 7 leads generated. Chief Emmi touted that there were no improper stops. Additionally there have been no complaints to the city about civil rights violations.
Chief Emmi also talked about how Ferndale’s policies are designed to prevent misuse, but also how Flock changed company-wide policies earlier this year in a way that over-rides the rules Ferndale had in place. When Flock was approved in 2022, Chief Emmi created a policy that includes provisions that the Flock Safety system will not be used for traffic enforcement, civil judgments, immigration, or “to contribute to the criminalization of poverty.” He also assured council that information would only be shared with departments that had similar rules and values, and with reciprocal agreements in place.
At the time, Councilmember Laura Mikulski and then-Councilmember Kat Bruner James had voted no on the contract.
During the Sept 29 presentation officials and audience members were surprised to learn that Flock had changed their policies in June 2025, and that departments connected to the national search system no longer had control over who the images were shared with.
Previously if a plate came up with a hot list hit in a city, the department making the search would have to contact the local police department to request the exact location and the images. This meant local departments had control over who to release the information to. For example, Ferndale could deny a request made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as that would violate the local policy against sharing information with federal agencies. However in June 2025 Flock changed the system so that anyone with access to the national system could access that information if there was a full license plate number match.
Chief Emmi stated that Ferndale could opt out of being connected to the national search function, while still maintaining reciprocal agreements with departments that met their standards.
The change in Flock’s policies are one of the concerns for those opposed to Flock. “I’m disturbed that the Chief went with something that was not our policy. Council was not aware of it,” said resident Peggy Harp. “These changes that have been made have not been out in the open.”
Resident Simon Cohen agreed. “They changed their policy. Who will they ask when they change their policy again? It won’t be me. It won’t be you,” he said.
Kat LaTosh, of Ferndale Inclusion Network, outlined several objections to the Flock system. She said that Flock can tie into outside databases, and that the company is moving ahead with drone and AI technologies that can be used to violate civil rights.
She noted that in Illinois Flock is under investigation for sharing information with Federal agencies in violation of Illinois state law. And in Evanston, Illinois following announcement of the investigation, city officials voted to end their contract with Flock and ordered the cameras removed. In that case, Flock re-installed cameras without permission.
Others shared concerns about whether the placement of cameras on the Detroit border is racist, as well as the potential for cameras in the Flock system to be used in targeting people of color for immigration enforcement, or for tracking women who are traveling across state lines to access reproductive healthcare. Flock’s policy is that searches related to immigration or reproductive care are prohibited, however opponents say there is nothing stopping police from entering a different reason into the search system. Ferndale Inclusion Network has also called upon officials to do a racial equity analysis of the use of Flock in the city.
Another concern is that Flock is privately owned. Jonathan, who did not give his last name, talked about military contractors and “oligarchic venture capitalists” supporting the company. Investors include Bedrock and Andreessen Horowitz. “We are paying to be spied on,” he said.
Chief Emmi hopes that the council and residents will see the value in the technology in spite of the potential for abuse.
Ferndale Police have used Flock to investigate different types of crime. From most frequent to least, those include: larceny and retail fraud, fleeing and eluding, stolen vehicles, vandalism, felonious assault, fraud, home invasion, domestic violence, stalking, weapons offense, homicide, attempted homicide, and narcotics.
On Feb 7, 2023 Flock was used to catch the suspect of an armed robbery at White Castle.
Flock was used to solve a home invasion and armed robbery on Woodland on Aug 4, 2023 where assailants impersonated police officers and handcuffed their 65-year old victim to gain access to their home.
On Dec. 1, 2023 there was a breaking and entering at Stiiizy Dispensary, and investigators used Flock to solve the crime.
A Feb 5, 2024 car jacking in Hazel Park was solved using Flock.
On May 3, 2024 a suspect attempted an armed robbery at the West 9 Mile 7Eleven location, and investigators used Flock to find them.
On April 9, 2025 a man was fatally shot during a road rage incident near 8 Mile and Woodward Ave. Flock technology helped identify the vehicle and track it to a casino where the suspect was arrested and charged with 2nd degree murder.
On May 23, 2025 a man was shot while standing outside of Orchid nightclub. Flock images helped identify and track the shooter, who was charged with attempted murder.
And on Sept 1 of this year a mother and her son were killed in their Hazel Park home. “Our Flock cameras contributed to finding the suspect,” Chief Emmi said. “This is no hypothetical. This is actual crime being solved using this technology.”
Flock is becoming more common across the country. Locally Flock cameras are used by Michigan State Police, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Detroit, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Royal Oak, Troy, Birmingham, Southfield, Oak Park, Warren, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township, and Auburn Hills.
There are also private Flock networks in use by neighborhood associations and corporations. For example, Lowe’s has Flock cameras at their stores. Police can access data on these private networks, however the owners of the networks can only access data within their own system.
This growth means more data to help solve crimes, but also more potential for misuse of that data.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has weight in, sending a letter in support of Flock. “Flock has proven to be an invaluable tool assisting local law enforcement efforts to keep our community safe,” McDonald wrote. “While I endorse Flock as an effective law enforcement tool, I recognize the privacy concerns voiced by community members. My support for Flock is not made lightly. Justice requires balancing the values of public safety and civil liberties.”
Members of Ferndale City Council asked questions during the presentation, clarifying policies and asking for specifics of how the technology is used. Police Chief Emmi has invited members of council to view the system at the police station for themselves. And council members will be reviewing the contract itself before the Oct. 13 council meeting.
“It’s important for us to hear both sides,” said Mayor Raylon Leaks May, who thanked both the Police Chief for the presentation, and the public for attending.
Learn more about Flock at https://www.flocksafety.com/
View the Ferndale Police Flock dashboard at https://transparency.flocksafety.com/ferndale-mi-pd
View the Ferndale Police Transparency dashboard at https://ferndalemi.gov/resources/transparency-dashboard
For ACLU concerns about Flock visit https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/flock-roundup
