Documented Incident
St. Clair Shores council hears resident calls to restrict Flock license plate cameras
Event: September 8, 2026 · First reported: September 9, 2026 · 6 sources
At a Tuesday council meeting reported Sept. 8, 2026, more than a dozen St. Clair Shores residents urged the city to temporarily or permanently restrict Flock Safety automated license plate readers. The city approved a five-year, 12-camera contract with Flock in April 2025 at an annual cost of $36,000, according to C&G News. At least two council members voiced support for limits, but no formal action was taken; Mayor Kip C. Walby said he would consult administrators and police and report back at the next meeting.
Council member Candice B. Rusie's concern that a local policy cannot control how the 180-plus Michigan agencies using Flock handle shared data goes to a core oversight question for any community operating networked ALPR systems.
Key facts
- St. Clair Shores approved a five-year Flock contract for 12 cameras in April 2025 at $36,000 per year, per C&G News.
- No vote or binding action was taken at the Tuesday meeting; the mayor promised an update at the next council meeting.
- Council member Chris Vitale said he favors codifying surveillance rules, possibly in the city charter, and opposes using the cameras for code enforcement or assessment.
- Flock says more than 180 Michigan law enforcement agencies use its license plate readers.
- Clawson, Ferndale, Milford, Sumpter Township and Westland have voted to end Flock contracts in the past year, and the Monroe County Board of Commissioners voted the prior week to terminate county-funded Flock cameras.
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- St. Clair Shores weighs restrictions on Flock license plate cameras (The Detroit News, September 9, 2026)
- St. Clair Shores residents concerned over Flock cameras (FOX 2 Detroit, September 9, 2026)
- St. Clair Shores weighs restrictions on Flock license plate cameras (Yahoo, September 9, 2026)
- St. Clair Shores residents call for police to suspend Flock camera use (cbsnews.com, September 9, 2026)
- St. Clair Shores weighs restrictions on Flock license plate cameras (Newsbreak, September 9, 2026)
- St. Clair Shores Council Weighs Curbs on Flock Cameras as Residents Push Back (Hoodline, September 9, 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 10, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.