This week in mid-Michigan, Lansing City Council members will consider a proposal asking the city to break ties with Flock Safety. Michigan State University students return to campus as East Lansing police ready for another semester. Plus, a small mid-Michigan township may keep its library after all, and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters is taking one last ride around the state before his term ends.
These are some of the biggest stories WKAR's lead politics reporter Andrew Roth is following as part of his weekly column, What Roth's Watching. You can find it in our newsletter, The Signal. Andrew joins WKAR Morning Edition host Melorie Begay to break it all down. Click on the audio player above to listen.
From Andrew:
1. Residents aim to 'De-Flock' Lansing
Lansing City Council members will consider a resolution Monday asking Mayor Andy Schor and the Lansing Police Department to terminate any contracts with Flock for the use of automated license plate reader cameras. The non-binding resolution, introduced by Councilmember Ryan Kost, also asks the city to refrain from entering into similar agreements for any AI-assisted surveillance systems until completing a privacy impact assessment and establishing policies surrounding data collection, retention, sharing and oversight.
2. East Lansing braces for students’ return
Michigan State University students move into campusthis week ahead of the fall semester. All eyes will be on downtown businesses and the East Lansing Police Department after multiple incidents during last year’s welcome weekend sparked months of turmoil at City Council meetings, with ongoing calls for the police chief to resign or be fired, and multiple lawsuits.
3. CADL Board meets on Aurelius Township library proposal
The Capital Area District Libraries Board of Trustees will consider a revised agreement with Aurelius Township to split some costs for a library branch that shares a space with the township hall. Aurelius Township Board of Trustees members approved the updated agreement this month.
4. Gary Peters rides into the sunset
Retiring U.S. Sen. Gary Peters will embark on his final motorcycle tour of Michigan this week with a focus on thanking the residents who elected him for two terms. Peters will ride more than 1,000 miles across the state as part of the five-day “Thank You, Michigan” tour, with stops planned in Bay City, Alpena, Marquette, Traverse City and Grand Rapids before concluding in East Lansing. Veterans, union workers, motorcycle safety advocates and constituents will join him on the road.
Interview Transcript:
Melorie Begay: This week in mid-Michigan, Lansing City Council members will consider a proposal aimed at ending the use of Flock surveillance cameras by local law enforcement. Michigan State University students return to campus as East Lansing police prepare for another semester. Plus, a small mid-Michigan township may keep its library after all, and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters is taking one last ride around the state before his term ends.
These are some of the biggest stories WKAR's lead politics reporter Andrew Roth is following as part of his weekly column, What Roth's Watching. You can find it in our newsletter, The Signal. Andrew joins me now. Thanks for being here, Andrew.
Andrew Roth: Thank you for having me, Melorie.
Begay: One of the biggest stories this week is a proposal in Lansing that would ask Mayor Andy Schor and the police department to end any contracts with Flock Safety. It's a company that sells surveillance technology. This is coming out at a time when communities nationwide are raising concerns about privacy and data use, but law enforcement agencies have said it helps with investigations and safety. Andrew, what kind of technology is being used in Lansing?
Roth: These Flock Safety cameras, they're automated license plate readers. So, they capture images as vehicles pass by. Then they use artificial intelligence to log details like license plate numbers, including the make and model of a vehicle, and any unique features. Then they build this searchable database that law enforcement agencies can look into as they're investigating crimes. So, these are meant to tackle things like drive-by shootings and vehicle theft. But there are also privacy concerns with them as well from people who don't like the idea that anytime they're driving down a road in Lansing, they could potentially be picked up by one of these cameras.
Begay: What would this proposal do?
Roth: This proposal would be a non-binding resolution, and basically, City Council members, if it passes, would be asking the mayor and the police department to end any existing contracts with Flock Safety, as well as to refrain from entering into any similar agreements with other AI-assisted companies until there's a complete privacy impact assessment and, maybe, some policies are established about how data is collected, retained and shared, and there are some oversight processes in place for that.
Begay: Another big story that we're following: If you're in East Lansing, you may notice it's a bit busier than usual this week. Well, that's because it's back to school for Michigan State University students, and while the first day of school is later this month, many Spartans will be moving in. This is something the East Lansing Police Department will be keeping an eye on. Andrew, why?
Roth: As students return to campus, for a lot of them, this is their first taste of freedom, and they don't have classes yet, like you mentioned. So, a lot of times, it can create conditions where there might be some incidents, especially in the downtown area. And that was the case last year; the East Lansing Police Department responded to a number of those incidents, some people had knives. But on the flip side, ELPD’s response to that also sparked a lot of controversy in the city because they tased someone, they used pepper spray on a couple unarmed individuals, and then the police chief made some comments defending that use of force, which led to a lot of people calling for her to either resign or be fired. And so, I think all eyes are going to be on the downtown area as students return to campus and kind of making sure the East Lansing Police Department has a plan in place to address some of these potential concerns without using excessive force.
Begay: Let's move on to Aurelius Township, where the local library there was at risk of losing its home due to a disagreement between the Capital Area District Libraries and the township. Andrew, what's the latest here?
Roth: The Aurelius Township Board has approved an updated agreement with the library system, and the Capital Area District Library's Board of Trustees is also going to be voting on this revised agreement this week. And so, the township wanted the library to take on some additional costs. The library shares a space with the township hall, so the township wanted the library to pay for things like some portion of utilities and trash removal service, things of that nature, and so they've been working on negotiating an agreement that's agreeable to both parties.
Begay: Lastly, U.S. Senator Gary Peters is taking one last ride around the state before his term ends. Andrew, can you tell us more about this goodbye tour?
Roth: So, Peters has gone on a motorcycle tour of the state ever year, and this year he's going to travel more than 1000 miles. He's going to start in Bay City. He'll make it up to Alpena, Marquette, Traverse City, and then he'll make it down to Grand Rapids before ultimately concluding the tour in East Lansing. He's going to be joined on this tour by some veterans, some union workers, motorcycle safety advocates, and he says that the focus this time is thanking all of his constituents who elected him for two terms in the Senate.
Begay: All right, thanks for the preview, Andrew. Andrew Roth is WKAR's lead politics reporter. Thanks for being here, Andrew.
Roth: Always happy to join.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
