South Lyon council votes 5-2 to end Flock contract, orders cameras covered
South Lyon's City Council voted 5-2 not to renew its Flock Safety contract and barred police from searching or sharing the cameras' data. The city's two cameras on 10 Mile Road have been covered.
By OCJ Staff
The South Lyon City Council voted 5-2 at its Monday meeting to end the city's contract with Flock Safety and ordered the city's two license plate reader cameras covered immediately.
The resolution notifies Flock that the city will not renew the agreement, according to the Michigan Advance. It also directs the South Lyon Police Department to stop accessing, searching or otherwise using data gathered by the cameras, and to stop sharing data with, or giving access to, any outside agency or third party except as required by law.
The council directed "that the camera lenses be covered until Flock Safety removes the equipment," WDIV reported. The cameras will stay in place until they can be taken down; no removal date has been announced.
Two cameras on 10 Mile Road
South Lyon had two automated license plate reader cameras, both along 10 Mile Road. The council approved them in November 2025, according to the Michigan Advance.
After the vote, the police department posted on Facebook that the cameras had been covered and were no longer capturing data. Photos released by the department showed the covered cameras.
Police chief defended the cameras
Police Chief Bonnie Unruh had defended the cameras before the vote, citing a hit-and-run case in which the cameras led to an identification.
Residents, however, raised data privacy and Fourth Amendment concerns, which led the council to reconsider the contract, the Michigan Advance reported. The council had earlier asked city officials to look into the legal implications of ending the agreement.
Councilmember Alex Hansen said he received more than 15 emails on the issue.
How each council member voted has not been reported.
Part of a wider trend
South Lyon is one of several local communities to drop Flock. Ferndale, Clawson and Independence Township previously ended their relationships with the company, and Brandon Township passed a resolution opposing license plate readers. Axios has counted at least six cancellations across Metro Detroit.
What it means for residents
With the cameras covered and the police barred from using their data, Flock plate readers are no longer operating in South Lyon. The equipment itself will remain on 10 Mile Road until Flock removes it.
This story uses reporting from WDIV ClickOnDetroit, the Michigan Advance and Axios.