Detroit City Council members are working to ensure surveillance data isn’t shared with federal immigration enforcement as residents call attention to other cities that have banned license plate cameras.
Two residents noted during Tuesday’s meeting that several cities canceled contracts with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company that provides AI-powered cameras that automatically collect images of vehicles that pass by them. The tool has spread to local communities across the country, including Detroit, by promising police a solution to quickly find missing persons and dangerous criminals.
A 2025 investigation by 404 Media found police across the country used Flock databases to perform immigration-related searches on behalf of federal agencies. The report caused a wave of cities and private companies to reevaluate their partnership with the surveillance company over the last year.
District 7 City Council Member Denzel McCampbell requested a report on what city contractors sell or share data with third-party brokers. McCampbell said he’s “extremely concerned” about the implications of city data spreading widely and wants to ensure it’s prevented by policy.
“I want to make sure that it’s in writing that that’s not happening,” he said Tuesday. “Not only when it comes to police, there was a whole conversation around Detroit ID (data privacy). There’s various ways that folks are coming into contact with the city and various departments. I just want to make sure that data is protected.”
There are at least 566 license plate readers deployed across Detroit, including 262 Flock cameras, according to an April 2025 report.
The previous City Council authorized a $6.25 million contract with Flock in 2024 that provided license plate readers on freeways through June 2029. Detroit also struck contracts with Genetec and Motorola for license plate readers along local intersections.
Detroit Police policy states that license plate reader data can be provided to “outside law enforcement agencies engaged in an active investigation.” District 6 Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said DPD consistently affirms it doesn’t share data with federal immigration authorities.
A 2023 report stated that DPD had 31 data-sharing agreements with other law enforcement agencies, but is not allowed to share information “for the purpose of assessing immigration status or enforcing immigration laws.”
Last week, Police Chief Todd Bettison said DPD is “not sharing data” with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Bettison told the city’s civilian oversight body the only interaction DPD has with ICE happens when someone is arrested and ICE requests a detainer to keep the person in custody for up to 72 hours. Santiago-Romero requested more information from DPD on how it honors these detainers.
Meanwhile, the Board of Police Commissioners received new oversight reports on surveillance cameras DPD is interested in.
DPD must comply with an oversight ordinance when seeking to acquire new surveillance technology. It requires DPD to provide a report on how surveillance tools work and how the department will navigate civil rights concerns.
The first report deals with a $2 million project for lighting and cameras in Chandler Park, Eliza-Howell Park, Maheras-Gentry Park and Rouge Park. The report states that the city “under no circumstances” can share information to assess immigration status or enforce immigration laws.
The second report outlines a mobile system to locate cellular devices, known as a cell-site simulator. These devices allow police to locate mobile phones by impersonating a cell tower.
A 2017 Detroit News report found the FBI and ICE agents used the cell-site simulator to apprehend a man from El Salvador who was living in Warren.