Someone is damaging the license plate reader cameras Birmingham police installed two years ago to fight crime.
Oakland County officials confirmed to Fox 2 Detroit on Wednesday, Aug. 12, that Flock Safety cameras have been vandalized in Birmingham, along with Novi, Pontiac, Waterford and West Bloomfield. The report did not specify how many cameras were damaged in Birmingham or when the incidents occurred.
The Birmingham Police Department, led by Chief Scott A. Grewe, installed the Flock cameras in 2024 as part of a technology upgrade that also included drones, according to the department's [2024 annual report](https://www.bhamgov.org/Document_Center/Department/Police/2024 Annual Report Draft - Grewe's Acc FINAL 031125.pdf?t=202503111156160). That same year, the department recorded a 24% reduction in overall crime, with serious incidents like robbery, larceny and burglary dropping nearly 22%, from 493 to 385.
The cameras photograph every passing vehicle. Artificial intelligence then catalogs the license plate number, state, vehicle make, model, color and unique physical traits such as dents. When a vehicle description is reported in connection with a crime, the system cross-checks it and produces a "hit" for investigators.
Police say the cameras do not photograph vehicle occupants and do not use facial recognition.
Cameras helped crack carjacking case
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard pointed to a May 2026 armed carjacking in Lake Orion where the cameras helped track a suspect heading northbound. Bouchard credited "the hit that the roadside cameras produced with being able to locate and flood the area with police and taking the suspect off the streets sooner."
The vandalism in Birmingham is part of a broader pattern across Oakland County. In Waterford in February 2026, several cameras were ripped from their mounts and smashed, leading to felony charges against a Clarkston man. Two cameras were damaged in Novi in July, and West Bloomfield has seen repeated incidents.
Privacy debate heats up
Not everyone sees the cameras as a public safety win. Websites like DeFlock and Flock Hopper have grown in popularity, mapping more than 90,000 surveillance cameras nationwide so drivers can avoid them.
At least two metro Detroit cities have ended their Flock contracts after resident pushback. Westland let its contract expire in August after Police Chief Kyle Dawley chose not to bring a renewal vote before City Council. Ferndale severed its Flock contract in November 2025 after residents raised concerns about data storage and access, though officials there credited the cameras with helping solve a murder and a double murder in neighboring Hazel Park.
In Pontiac, residents complained about Flock surveillance at a June 2026 city hearing, with some calling the technology over-policing of minority communities.
Ferndale officials confirmed that Flock data is not accessible by federal law enforcement and is not used for immigration enforcement.
What Birmingham residents should know
The Birmingham Police Department has not publicly commented on the specific vandalism incidents or the ongoing privacy debate. Residents can contact the department at (248) 530-1870.
