Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington will issue an administrative order by mid-September placing the Grand Rapids Police Department’s automated license plate reader system under the city’s Surveillance Technology Policy.
The order requires any future purchase, renewal, or expansion of the system to go through a Public Safety Committee review and City Commission approval, consistent with the city’s current process when acquiring other surveillance technologies.
Washington’s decision comes after presentations from GRPD, Flock Safety, and public comments at Tuesday’s City Commission meetings, where more than a dozen residents expressed privacy concerns over the use of Flock cameras within the city.
In a statement, Washington said, “Our objectives are simple. We want a safe community, effective tools for policing, and we want the community to trust that use of those tools follow clear rules and strong oversight. Strong transparency is essential to building and maintaining that trust.”
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