Kalamazoo public safety chief defends Flock license‑plate readers amid public privacy concerns
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Summary
Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) Chief Boysen told the commission license‑plate‑reader (Flock) cameras are used for criminal investigations and are not used for immigration enforcement; public commenters urged removal, citing federal access and civil‑liberties risks. The commission approved the consent agenda; no change to camera policy was adopted.
KDPS Chief Boysen provided an extended briefing to the commission on Feb. 2 describing how the department uses license‑plate‑reader (LPR) cameras (commercially known as Flock in public comment) and the department's controls for data access.
Boysen said LPRs capture digital images of vehicles and license plates, with metadata for date, time and location; he said KDPS retains control of the data, shares it only with approved regional law‑enforcement partners, and that images are automatically deleted after 30 days by the vendor. He told the commission the department prohibits use of LPR data for immigration enforcement or for investigations related to reproductive health services, and described auditing and logging of system searches.
Boysen cited multiple operational benefits and gave numerical examples during his presentation. He said LPR data assisted in solving homicides and violent‑crime cases since LPRs were introduced in 2021 and offered several case examples — including rapid recovery of stolen vehicles with children inside and locating suspects in overdose investigations. He added that KDPS uses LPR data in virtually every shots‑fired incident to assist investigations.
Public commenters, including June Simpson, Jeff Messer and Chris Glasser, urged removal of the cameras, argued that the vendor is a data broker and alleged federal access to the network (including ICE use cited by commenters and outside reporting). Simpson said the system ‘‘has already been used to track women who have abortions’’ and that federal access is a present and verifiable risk. Messer and others called the cameras ‘‘mass surveillance’’ and urged removal or dismantling of surveillance funding.
Mayor Anderson and commissioners thanked speakers and the chief for the presentation; no policy change or vote on the camera program occurred. The commission did approve a consent agenda that included five procurement and contract items (see below).
Quote: "License plate readers are used as a crime solving and life saving tool and not for immigration enforcement," Chief Boysen said.
What to watch: Public commenters pressed for proof of vendor controls and for limits on federal access; KDPS emphasized internal controls and audit logs. The commission did not adopt new restrictions at the Feb. 2 meeting.
Consent-agenda vote (recorded): The commission approved five consent items (contracts and purchases) on a roll‑call vote moved by Commissioner Prado and seconded by Commissioner Slaby; listed commissioners recorded 'Yes' votes and the items were approved.
Sources: Chief Boysen presentation and multiple public comments at the Feb. 2, 2026 meeting.
