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Bay City rejects proposed Flock license‑plate reader contract after lengthy debate and heavy public opposition
Summary
After competing presentations from the ACLU and Flock Group, hours of commissioner questioning and more than two dozen public commenters urging rejection, the Bay City City Commission voted 2–6 to defeat a two‑year contract to install license‑plate readers; commissioners referred a separate funding reallocation resolution to staff for follow‑up.
Bay City commissioners voted down a proposed two‑year agreement with Flock Group Inc. to deploy automated license‑plate readers (LPRs) in the city after extended presentations, commissioner questioning and a lengthy public‑comment period dominated by vocal opposition.
The commission’s meeting on Nov. 17 opened with two competing presentations. Gabriel Dresner, introduced by the commission as a policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union, told commissioners that LPRs “are a little‑noticed surveillance technology” that can produce long, searchable location histories and urged either forgoing the technology or adopting strict policies, including short retention limits and sharing restrictions. Dresner offered the ACLU’s model policy as a guide.
Representatives from Flock Group — introduced to the commission as Mike Lampman and Trevor Chandler — then detailed the vendor’s product and defenses. Flock said Bay City would own its data, that images are deleted after 30 days and that the…
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