Bay City Commission rejects license-plate reader contract after public pushback

By Andrew Hornbacher

BAY CITY, Mich. – After months of debate and growing public pushback, the Bay City Commission voted Monday to reject a proposal to install automated license plate readers throughout the city.

The commission voted 6-2 on Nov. 17 against a two-year contract with Flock Safety that would have placed 13 cameras across Bay City for $84,150. Ninth Ward Commissioner Cordal Morris and Fifth Ward Commissioner Mike Zanotti supported the agreement. 

Several commissioners said the decision reflected residents’ concerns about privacy and data security.

“We owe our residents more than telling them to take our word for it,” Sixth Ward Commissioner Alexander Dewitt said. The system would have alerted Bay City Public Safety when a vehicle linked to a serious crime passed a camera. The city had already set aside funding for the project, but the contract required final approval from the commission.

Public comment was dominated by residents opposed to the cameras.

“We’re trading away freedoms under the guise of safety,” Bay City resident Richard Mastroianni said.

Representatives from Flock Group Inc. presented first, followed by ACLU policy strategist Gabrielle Dresner, who appeared via Zoom. Their presentations underscored the divide within the community.

Trevor Chandler of Flock said the cameras help solve crimes and locate missing people, adding that roughly 15 percent of crime in Flock-equipped communities involves a camera hit. He said many concerns stem from misinformation.

Dresner warned that Michigan lacks statewide rules governing the storage and use of license plate reader data. Without clear limits, she said, the technology can reveal detailed information about residents’ routines, locations and associations.

“As these systems expand, they can easily show who we see, where we go and what we believe,” Dresner said. “Without strict limits, this can turn into mass surveillance.”

Some commissioners expressed concern that the contract allowed Flock to share city data “in good faith” during emergencies, raising questions about enforcement and oversight.

“One of my concerns is how difficult it is to hold Flock accountable for any of this,” Seventh Ward Commissioner Christopher Runberg said.

Public Safety Director Caleb Rowell continued to support adopting the system. He said the

 technology could help investigate shootings and that he was confident the department could use it responsibly.

Zanotti, one of the two votes in favor, said the cameras would not replace officers but could allow them to focus on other work. He also noted that surveillance tools are already widespread.

“That ship has already sailed,” Zanotti said. Commissioners said the volume of public opposition influenced their final decision. More than 20 residents spoke at Monday’s meeting, nearly all against the contract.

“At one meeting, out of dozens of people, I heard one positive comment,” Dewitt said. “That doesn’t happen in America.”

Dewitt also proposed moving the previously allocated camera funds into the city’s fire and public safety budgets. After rejecting the contract, commissioners voted to send that proposal to city staff for review.

In closing the months-long debate, commissioners said they were not willing to approve a surveillance tool that so many residents felt uneasy about — even if supporters argued for it.