Jocelyn Benson, John James weigh in on Flock cameras and potential regulations

Our Take

WWMT-TV's report on Jocelyn Benson and John James weighing in on Flock cameras is a sign of the times: license plate surveillance has graduated from a niche policy fight to a topic candidates for governor can't dodge. When politicians on opposite sides of the aisle both feel pressure to have an answer on ALPRs, that tells you the public is paying attention, and that's a good thing. Credit to WWMT for pushing this into the pre-election conversation instead of letting it stay buried in city council agendas.

What we'd watch for is whether either candidate's stance amounts to more than a soundbite. "Regulation" can mean anything from a toothless transparency memo to real limits on data retention, cross-agency sharing, and warrantless access. Michigan residents deserve specifics: who can query the database, how long plate scans are stored, whether ICE or out-of-state agencies get a backdoor in, and what happens when a camera misreads a plate and sends police to the wrong driveway. Vague promises to "look into" Flock don't cut it when the infrastructure is already being installed block by block.

If you want to know what's already watching you in Michigan or anywhere else, check our camera map before you take the candidates' word for it, and if you're ready to push back locally, our take-action guide has concrete steps for making your city council actually answer for these contracts.