What happened in Madison Heights?
Spectrum News reported that Madison Heights is ending its relationship with Flock Safety. The city announced the decision on Sunday and plans to let its contract expire without renewal.
The city's three license plate-reading cameras were covered and deactivated on Sept. 23. The report says they have not collected new data since then, and the city says they will not come back online.
Why did the city end the contract?
City officials said in an Oct. 11 statement that they gave Flock Safety a chance to address concerns about how information from the cameras is accessed and shared. They said the company did not provide the assurances the city was looking for.
The report says the decision follows months of debate about the technology. Critics have raised concerns about possible misuse and about access to the data beyond local departments.
What changes for drivers?
The city's own three cameras are the ones affected. They are already covered, and the city says it will disconnect its ALPR cameras.
The city says the decision does not affect privately operated Flock cameras in Madison Heights. Businesses and other organizations with their own agreements can keep using them. Cameras run by other cities, the county, the state or private owners are outside this decision.
Is this happening elsewhere in Michigan?
The report says South Lyon voted against renewing its Flock Safety contract in September. It also says Ferndale and Eastpointe have taken steps to discontinue their systems. Protests against Flock and other plate readers have appeared in Lansing and Grand Rapids.
To see where cameras are installed near you, check the camera map. For background on what these cameras record, read how plate readers work.
What is still unknown?
The report does not give a date for the contract's expiration. It also does not say what, if anything, will replace the system, or whether the city will remove the three covered cameras from their poles. It does not say whether the council took a formal vote on the decision.
Residents who want answers can ask the city for the expiration date, the removal timeline, and what happens to data the cameras already collected. Public records for local agencies are listed on the agencies page.
The next step the report points to is the contract's expiration, and the report does not date it.