More than 200 Michigan cities and counties have canceled Flock contracts amid resident outrage. Tlaib's bill would also tie certain federal law enforcement grants to state and local governments ending their use of the systems.
On Oct. 14, Rashida Tlaib stood beside a Flock camera in Inkster to present her bill. The city had signed a long-term contract with the company.
H.R. 10807, the Get the Flock Out of Our Communities Act, was introduced the day before by Tlaib, a Democrat representing Michigan's 12th District. It would bar federal funds from buying or deploying automated mass surveillance systems. The ban would also cover installation and maintenance. Leasing or accessing the systems would be barred, as would operating them.
The proposal reaches beyond Flock automatic license plate readers to include biometric surveillance and facial recognition. It would require permanent deletion of data collected through the systems. Federal agencies would also be barred from using information obtained through them, according to Tlaib's bill announcement.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Judiciary Committee. It had not become law and remained under consideration.
Michigan communities cancel contracts
Tlaib's office said more than 200 cities and counties in Michigan have canceled Flock contracts amid resident outrage. Westland and Lincoln Park were among them. CBS News Detroit also reported cancellations in Eastpointe and Milford, as well as Madison Heights and Bedford Township. Those local decisions are separate from the proposed federal requirements.
Under the bill, states and local governments would have to stop operating or accessing the systems to remain eligible for certain federal law enforcement grants. The measure could affect jurisdictions beyond Michigan, but changes to local contracts or grant eligibility would depend on the bill becoming law.
Concerns over surveillance
Flock Safety's automated license plate readers capture vehicle information. Law enforcement can use the systems to search for vehicle movements.
Tlaib has raised concerns about privacy and the collection of information about people's movements in public places. She said the systems can breach privacy in parks and on streets. She also pointed to areas near workplaces, and argued that Flock's technology does not make communities safer.
Tlaib said the technology has been used to stalk people. She also cited misidentifications and arrests of innocent people, along with surveillance of protesters and the wrongful recording of neighbors.
Geri Biggs, a Dearborn resident and community advocate, described Flock cameras as dangerous to a free society. Biggs said cases have been cited in which people, including young women, were illegally stalked by individuals in positions of power with nefarious intentions.
The bill lists seven Democratic co-sponsors: Sylvia Garcia and Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar and Delia Ramirez, Nydia Velázquez and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Tlaib is also named. Its stated purpose is "to prohibit the use of automated mass surveillance systems and associated components, and for other purposes," according to the official bill text.
