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Resident urges transparency for Flock Safety license-plate camera contract funded by public-safety millage
Summary
A Benton Township resident asked the Berrien County Board of Commissioners to publish the Flock Safety contract and data-use policies and to hold a public hearing before any renewal or expansion, citing privacy and oversight concerns.
Jonathan DeWitt, a Benton Township resident, told the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on May 15 he supports public safety but urged greater transparency and oversight for the county's contract with Flock Safety, a private license-plate–reading camera vendor.
DeWitt said he reviewed a March resolution from the prior year that, he said, approved a five-year contract funded by the public-safety millage and that the only justification recorded then was that "the sheriff has found the cameras helpful" without accompanying data or public discussion. He asked the board to publish the contract and the county's policies on data use and retention, provide an annual public report on system use and any issues, and consider a public hearing before any renewal or expansion.
Why it matters: the request raises questions about transparency, public oversight and privacy when the county uses a privately operated system that collects vehicle-location data and shares it with law enforcement. DeWitt framed his request as balancing civil liberties with public safety.
The board acknowledged DeWitt's comments and did not take formal action during the meeting. No staff member or sheriff's office representative responded to DeWitt's specific requests during the public-comment period recorded in the transcript.
