A proposal to install Flock Safety cameras near the Michigan Capitol is not moving forward.
The Michigan Capitol Commission discussed installing the automatic license plate readers around Capitol Square last year.
Flyers circulated on social media indicate that some residents plan to attend Monday morning’s Capitol Commission meeting to speak out against the possibility, citing privacy concerns.
But Executive Director Robert Blackshaw said in an email to WKAR News that the idea is “a thought that will not move any further.”
“The Capitol Commission will NOT be installing any of these cameras around Capitol Square,” Blackshaw wrote.
The cameras, which are assisted by artificial intelligence, take photos of vehicles driving by to create a database of license plates that is searchable by law enforcement.
Privacy advocates have expressed concerns about the potential for police to misuse information from the cameras or share the data with agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Lansing City Council members voted 7-1 last week to ask Mayor Andy Schor and the Lansing Police Department to stop using the 26 cameras that are already installed in seven locations throughout the city.
WKAR News reached out to Flock Safety for comment. In an automated reply, the company says its media relations team is “touching grass and taking a break.”
“Unlike our cameras, we can’t work 24/7, so we’ll get back to you when we’ve had a snack and regained the ability to form coherent sentences,” the company’s email reads.
