WALLED LAKE, Mich. — The Walled Lake City Council on Tuesday heard an introductory presentation about a license-plate reader system from a representative of Flock Safety but did not take action, saying a fuller demonstration is needed before a purchase decision.

Mike Duchene, a Flock representative, told council members the company's cameras capture still images of vehicle rear plates and other vehicle features and that those images are retained in the cloud for 30 days. "It's not facial recognition. It's not gonna be tied to any personally identifiable information," Duchene said, adding that Walled Lake would own the data if the city partners with Flock and that searches should be tied to a case number or other authorized reason.

Council members and staff pressed Duchene on how the system would be used and shared. Duchene said the system can issue real‑time alerts for stolen or wanted vehicles and can act as an investigative tool; it can also identify vehicle characteristics when a plate has been removed or obscured through what he described as "vehicle fingerprint" technology. He said Flock operates on a subscription model and provides maintenance and software updates. The company uses a transparency portal to show permitted uses and prohibited uses, and its software is compatible with NCIC and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children feeds, Duchene said.

Council members raised operational and privacy questions. One council member asked whether the system "tags every license plate that passes by those cameras," and Duchene answered that the cameras will image plates routinely but that images are only reviewed when an authorized user provides a search reason or case number. Mayor Ackley and other council members said they were impressed by earlier demonstrations but that the version presented Tuesday lacked graphic overlays and other materials they had asked to see.

Mayor Ackley, who credited Council member Locke with bringing the company to the city's attention, said the council would not vote on the proposal Tuesday. "I'm not gonna ask anybody to vote tonight about this public safety wonder that they're gonna present," he said, and directed staff to schedule a fuller presentation at the March meeting.

No ordinance, contract, or funding request was before the council Tuesday; members requested that Flock provide an expanded demonstration showing camera overlays of neighboring jurisdictions, a list of nearby agencies using the network, and additional technical and operational details for staff review.

The council's direction was procedural: staff to schedule Flock for a fuller presentation in March. No procurement steps, contract terms, or locations for cameras were approved at the meeting.

Why it matters: License‑plate readers can assist criminal investigations and interagency alerts but raise questions about data retention, access controls and sharing; council members repeatedly asked for specifics about use policy, audit trails and which neighboring agencies already participate in Flock's network.

What's next: The council expects Flock to return in March with the fuller demonstration requested, including an overlay of existing cameras and answers on data governance and interagency sharing.