Flock camera use to end in much of Monroe County, as board votes to discontinue service
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners in Southeast Michigan voted 8-1 on Tuesday night to end the use of the Flock license plate reader camera system in areas where county funds were used for the service.
Commissioner David Swartout was the sole "no" vote.
The resolution directs Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough and, to the extent possible, all municipalities, townships, and villages within Monroe County to discontinue the use of Flock Safety cameras and comparable systems. The date for ending the service has yet to be determined, with the county's administrator, Michael Bosanac, to report back on the logistics within 45 days.
There are about 40 cameras in areas patrolled by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office or where its deputies are contracted to provide local policing, according to the discussion at the meeting. Sheriff Troy Goodnough explained that municipalities that have their own police department contracts with Flock are the City of Monroe, Village of Dundee and City of Milan.
Goodnough said the first license plate reader cameras in Monroe County were installed in 2023 in the area of Secor and Sterns roads in Bedford Township, in response to a request from the local business community for better security options.
The first cameras in Frenchtown Township were installed in 2024, and the first ones in Monroe Township were installed in 2025.
The selected areas were identified as high-crime and high-vehicle-traffic areas, Goodnough said.
The Flock cameras have helped to solve some investigations, such as the circumstances of a 14-year-old girl who ran away from her Frenchtown Township home in January. After a security camera at the Meijer on Telegraph Road showed which car she got into, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office accessed the Flock camera network to locate the vehicle and speak to the driver. That information led to determining where she might be found.
The fact that some of the cameras are in Monroe Township, where several marijuana dispensaries have opened in recent years, was noted during a public discussion that lasted for over an hour. There was also a mix of opinions and privacy concerns voiced by area residents, along with criticism of the service across the country. A group of Michigan Democratic lawmakers has called on the Michigan Department of Transportation to end its contracts with Flock Safety cameras.
Monroe Township Supervisor John Manor was among the speakers at the meeting who suggested taking the matter to the county residents through a ballot issue.
The reasons for giving the public more time to learn about the issue included the fact that not a lot of people in the community knew much about the use of Flock cameras and their history in Monroe County. Commissioner Dawn Asper said she was surprised to learn how many had been installed in the sheriff's office patrol areas.
But Asper also said a county commission vote was the best approach right now.
Commissioner Dale Biniecki, who participated in his first meeting after filling a vacant seat previously held by Mark Brant, has, in the meantime, suggested revisiting the matter in six months.