Documented Incident
Eastpointe, Michigan council votes 4-1 to end Flock Safety contract after employee misuse findings
First reported: September 17, 2026 · 8 sources
The Eastpointe City Council voted 4-1 on Tuesday to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety after the police department concluded that two employees had misused its automated license plate reader system. Police Chief Corey Haines said an investigation found one employee used the system for personal purposes and the other violated department policy; the second matter remains under investigation. The department said the personal-use case drew discipline it described as severe but declined to specify it, citing personnel record exemptions. Eastpointe police said they have discontinued use of Flock and added new safeguards.
The decision shows a city council treating confirmed internal misuse as grounds to end an ALPR program outright, and it highlights a recurring oversight question raised by Mayor Michael Klinefelt: that data shared across Flock's multi-agency network falls outside any single city's control.
Key facts
- Council voted 4-1 on Tuesday to end the Flock contract; Rob Baker was the lone vote to keep it.
- Police determined two employees misused the system — one for personal purposes, one in violation of department policy; the second case is still under investigation.
- Discipline was not disclosed; police said individual personnel records are exempt from disclosure.
- Mayor Michael Klinefelt said he learned of the investigation last month after an inquiry from The Detroit News and did not learn the findings until the department released them Wednesday.
- Chief Corey Haines told the council the city's 18 Flock cameras helped solve 39 crimes in 2024, 54 in 2025 and 46 so far in 2026.
Timeline
- September 17, 2026Eastpointe ends Flock Safety contract after employees misused license plate reader system
- September 17, 2026Eastpointe ends Flock Safety contract after employees misused license plate reader system
- September 16, 2026Eastpointe ends Flock camera contract amid misuse allegations against police staff
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Eastpointe ends Flock Safety contract after employees misused license plate reader system (ClickOnDetroit | WDIV Local 4, September 17, 2026)
- Eastpointe votes to cancel Flock contract for license plate reader cameras (Yahoo, September 16, 2026)
- Two Eastpointe police officers misused Flock network, chief says (Macomb Daily, September 16, 2026)
- Eastpointe ends Flock camera contract (FOX 2 Detroit, September 16, 2026)
- 2 Eastpointe cops misused Flock license plate readers, chief says (Audacy, September 16, 2026)
- Eastpointe ends Flock Safety contract after employees misused license plate reader system (Clickondetroit, September 17, 2026)
- Eastpointe ends Flock camera contract amid misuse allegations against police staff (wxyz.com, September 16, 2026)
- Camera action (Candgnews, September 18, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated September 20, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.