Community News · License Plate Readers
Michigan Cities Ending Flock Cameras
Eight Michigan communities, from Ferndale to Madison Heights, have ended or canceled their Flock Safety license plate reader contracts since November 2025.
A growing number of Michigan communities have voted to end or cancel their Flock Safety license plate reader contracts over privacy, data-access, and misuse concerns, and state lawmakers introduced regulation bills in September 2026. As of mid-October 2026, eight communities have ended, canceled, or voted not to renew: Ferndale, Clawson, Westland, Milford Village, Independence Township, Eastpointe, South Lyon, and Madison Heights. Here is what happened, why communities are dropping the cameras, and what it means if you are watching the towns around Ann Arbor.
Across Southeast Michigan, community decisions fall into three distinct categories: ended or canceled, paused or under review, and renewed or expanded. Only the first group is a true end of the program. Pauses, reviews, and renewals are not bans, and the page below keeps the three categories separate so the picture stays accurate.
Last updated October 19, 2026 · By Nicole Elizabeth Yaeger
Latest update · October 16, 2026
Latest: MapQuest adds a surveillance layer
On October 16, 2026, Fox 2 Detroit reported that MapQuest added a new Surveillance Layer feature to its free app. The layer lets users see reported locations of automated license plate readers and public surveillance cameras along their route, including Flock Safety devices and readers from a dozen other providers: Motorola Solutions/Vigilant, Genetec, Axis Communications, Axon, Leonardo/ELSAG, Neology, Rekor, PlateSmart, Ubicquia, Verkada, and others. Users turn it on through the Layers icon, then tap the eyeball icons on the map to see what kind of camera each marker is.
The national picture
The same week, the national debate over plate-reader networks continued. More than 50 agencies or jurisdictions have canceled, suspended, rejected, or deactivated contracts since the start of the year, according to the DeFlock tracker.
Close to home
Detroit ranks high nationally among documented reader locations on the Finding Flock map, with 561 readers documented in the city. The MapQuest layer makes the plate reader network visible to anyone planning a route.
The reasons behind the exits
Why communities are dropping them
The cancellations are not following one single pattern. They share a set of concerns that have built up around automatic license plate readers across Southeast Michigan.
Audits showing outside access
An audit in Ferndale showed agencies from outside the community searching its license plate data, a finding that led the police chief to cancel that contract and sharpened the data-access debate elsewhere.
Privacy concerns
License plate readers collect plate data continuously, and several councils and boards cited privacy concerns about how long that data is kept and who can search it when they voted to end or cancel their programs.
Vandalism and cooling-off removals
Some cameras came down before their contracts were up, whether after vandalism or during cooling-off removal windows, which cut a few programs short ahead of any renewal vote.
A 2026 legislative push
State lawmakers introduced regulation bills in September 2026 that would require warrants before license plate data is searched and limit how long the data can be retained.
Ended and canceled contracts
Eight communities have ended or canceled so far
Each community below has ended, canceled, or voted not to renew its Flock Safety license plate reader program. Dates reflect the vote, announcement, or removal.
Ferndale
The chief canceled the contract after an audit showed outside agencies searching its data.
Clawson
The city council voted not to renew.
Westland
The cameras were removed.
Milford Village
A 7-0 vote not to renew.
Independence Township
Trustees voted to terminate the program.
Eastpointe
A 4-1 vote to end it.
South Lyon
A 5-2 vote not to renew.
Madison Heights
Announced it is disconnecting the cameras.
This list reflects the eight communities covered here as of October 19, 2026. More municipalities may follow as the 2026 bills move through Lansing, and Nicole will keep this page updated as votes and announcements are confirmed.
Paused or under review, not bans
Paused or under review, not ended
A few communities have paused their Flock programs or put them under review without ending them. These are pauses and reviews, not cancellations and not bans. The programs are still in place, on hold, or being reconsidered, and the final decision can still go either way.
St. Clair Shores
The program is paused for six months, with a decision expected in March 2027.
Lincoln Park
Status is paused and covered for now. This is a pause or a review, not a cancellation.
Hazel Park
The program is still under review, and no final decision has been made.
Renewed and expanded programs
Going the other direction
Not every community is stepping back. Some have renewed their contracts, expanded their coverage, or committed to the cameras for years to come.
Warren
Warren renewed its Flock Safety license plate reader contract.
Inkster
Inkster is expanding its Flock camera program.
Detroit
Detroit's Flock Safety contract runs through 2029.
Quick answers
Flock camera questions, answered straight
Which Michigan cities have banned Flock cameras?
Eight Michigan communities have ended or canceled their Flock Safety license plate reader contracts so far: Ferndale, Clawson, Westland, Milford Village, Independence Township, Eastpointe, South Lyon, and Madison Heights. The votes and cancellations ran from November 2025 through mid-October 2026.
Is Ann Arbor using Flock cameras?
Ann Arbor's status is not listed here. The ended and canceled contracts covered on this page are Ferndale, Clawson, Westland, Milford Village, Independence Township, Eastpointe, South Lyon, and Madison Heights.
Why are Michigan communities ending Flock camera contracts?
The reasons communities have cited include audits showing outside agencies searching local data, privacy concerns over continuously collected plate data, vandalism and cooling-off removals, and a 2026 legislative push to require warrants and limit data retention.
What would the 2026 Michigan legislation require?
State lawmakers introduced regulation bills in September 2026. The push would require warrants before license plate data is searched and limit how long the data can be retained.
Are paused or under-review programs the same as ended ones?
No, the categories are distinct. Ended and canceled contracts, like the eight communities above, are a true end of the program. Paused or under-review programs, including St. Clair Shores, Lincoln Park, and Hazel Park, are pauses or reviews, not cancellations and not bans. Renewed or expanded programs, including Warren, Inkster, and Detroit, are going the other direction.
How do I find license plate readers near me?
As of mid-October 2026, the free MapQuest app added a Surveillance Layer that shows reported locations of automated license plate readers and public surveillance cameras along your route. Open the Layers icon, turn on the Surveillance Layer, and tap the eyeball icons on the map to see what kind of camera each marker is. The layer covers Flock Safety devices and readers from a dozen other providers, and it is a practical way to see the plate reader network around you, including the 561 documented readers in Detroit tracked on the Finding Flock map.
Local context
Close to home in western Oakland County
South Lyon and Milford both sit in the western Oakland County area, in the same corridor Nicole serves day to day; South Lyon is one of the communities she works in directly, and Milford is a short distance up the road. If you are buying, selling, or relocating in that stretch, or just tracking how local policies are shifting across Southeast Michigan, Nicole can give you the ground-level read on any town.
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