Kalamazoo DENIED my FOIA… sorta
The short version: Magnetic Norse's Kalamazoo FOIA fight shows how cities slow-walk ALPR transparency, handing over data only to backtrack when the questions get sharper.
Our Take
Credit to Magnetic Norse for doing the unglamorous work that keeps Flock Safety and its municipal partners honest: filing the public records request, documenting the runaround, and showing viewers exactly where the paper trail gets murky. This Kalamazoo case follows a familiar script we've seen in city after city — officials release camera location data when it seems routine, then get cagey once someone starts asking about logs, retention, or how the system is actually being used day to day.
That pattern matters because ALPR transparency shouldn't be a privilege granted at a mayor's discretion. These cameras scan and store every plate that passes, building a movement history on residents who've never been charged with anything. When a city hands over 'the bulk' of what's requested but draws a line at the rest, it raises the obvious question: what's in the part they don't want you to see? Partial disclosure isn't accountability, it's damage control.
If you're in Kalamazoo or anywhere else wondering whether your city has these cameras watching your commute, check our camera map to see what's been documented so far, and if you want to push back on your own city hall, our take-action page has the tools to help you file your own records requests and organize locally.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Magnetic Norse, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.