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Residents and advocates press Sterling Heights to end or audit Flock ALPR network
Summary
Dozens of residents spoke during public comment, urging the council to cancel the Flock contract or demand stricter audits and proof the system improves public safety; speakers cited security vulnerabilities, contract-language changes and research suggesting low usefulness.
Multiple residents and advocacy speakers urged the council to discontinue or heavily revise the city's agreement with Flock Safety and to require independent audits and stronger contractual safeguards.
A public commenter identified as Philip presented FBI clearance-rate data he calculated and said clearance percentages for Sterling Heights fell from 34% (2019–2022) to 30% (2023–2025) after the department implemented Flock, arguing that the system has not demonstrably improved solve rates. "We put up this system and we saw a 4 percent decrease in case clearance rates," he said, asking the council to explain why.
Other commentors and advocacy speakers raised security and data-sharing concerns: one public speaker said, "Flock is a data broker...They have violated, every tenant of practically every contract by exposing municipalities' data to other parties," and a technology professional in the audience urged the council to verify vendor security claims and to involve IT staff in reviews.
A retired police lieutenant offered a contrasting view and described investigations he said were solved with ALPR support, telling council that, in his experience, losing the tool would make the city less safe. The council heard both perspectives and staff agreed to provide additional information and an analysis requested by council members.
