Board approves Clemens authority to centralize law-enforcement information after debate on conflicts

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners voted 16-2 on Sept. 18, 2025, to form a public authority to manage the county's courts and law enforcement management information system, often referred to in the meeting as "Clemens." A motion to postpone consideration until Sept. 30 failed on a 9-9 tie.

Commissioner Gwen Markham introduced the item, describing it as a modernization step supported by county law enforcement. Commissioner Markham said the tool has grown from a local database into "the largest database system that, multi jurisdictions use to not only fight scribe, but, protect our community on a regular basis." She urged the county to proceed with authority formation to modernize the system.

Opponents pressed for more information. Commissioner Cavell urged postponement, saying committee materials were incomplete and noting related public reports and investigations into contracts involving the program. "Clemens Participation Grama, pages 5, 6, 7, and 8 are missing," Cavell said, calling for more time to tighten the proposal and await investigative results.

Commissioner Spence said he supported the idea in principle but wanted the board to see the results of an ongoing investigation related to prior contracts before committing to authority formation.

After discussion, commissioners voted against postponing and then approved the formation of the Clemens authority, 16-2. The board record shows the agency will proceed with the authority-formation steps described in the resolution and transfer of assets as required by the board; further implementation steps and asset-transfer details will be handled by county staff and the authority board if created.

Ending: The board's approval moves the Clemens proposal into the next implementation phase; the resolution passed with a recorded vote and included opportunities for board oversight during asset transfer and authority governance formation.