Inkster is going all in on automated surveillance just as a wave of nearby Metro Detroit communities walks away from it. Under a 10-year contract with Flock Safety, the city is boosting its license plate readers from six to 20, adding five new security cameras, installing 48 gunshot detection devices, and preparing to launch a drone designed to respond to emergencies.
A Big Bet on Tech-Driven Policing
The expansion, reported by WDIV ClickOnDetroit, includes Flock's own gunshot detection. City officials say the goal is straightforward: prevent crime, speed up emergency response times, and make residents feel safer, according to the station's report.
Inkster council member Byron Nolen said the technology is intended to prevent crime proactively and speed emergency response, per the same account. Resident Winston Williams told the outlet that drones could help emergency responders locate incidents more quickly. The backdrop for that urgency is stark: according to 2024 FBI crime data compiled by OpenCrime and cited in Hoodline's earlier reporting, Inkster logged 206 aggravated assaults and three homicides in a single year, a violent crime rate of 1,074.7 per 100,000 residents that is nearly triple the national average in a city of about 25,428 people with a median household income of $39,588.
A Region Moving the Opposite Direction
Inkster's expansion stands apart from a much larger regional trend. As of October 2026, at least 14 communities across Southeast Michigan — including Eastpointe, Milford, South Lyon, Westland, Clawson, Ferndale, Independence Township, and Monroe County — have canceled or declined to renew their Flock Safety camera contracts, or temporarily suspended camera use, over privacy and data misuse concerns, according to The Metro Detroit News. Hoodline has covered that momentum locally, from Madison Heights pulling the plug on its cameras to Milford's council facing resident warnings about privacy risk.
Eastpointe's city council voted 4-1 on September 15, 2026, to terminate its Flock Safety contract after an internal police investigation confirmed that two department employees misused the license plate reader system — one for personal reasons and another in violation of department policy, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. The city had previously operated 18 Flock ALPR cameras before ending the deal.
Misuse Concerns Reach Beyond One Department
The ClickOnDetroit report on Inkster notes that Oakland County announced an investigation into a former deputy accused of accessing Flock Safety data after leaving the position. A broader audit log review by The Detroit News, relayed via Instagram account The Perna Team
, found that officers across five Metro Detroit police agencies — including the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and departments in Taylor, Southfield, Troy, and Brownstown Township — conducted immigration-related searches on Flock Safety data since early 2025. That same review identified a former Oakland County Sheriff's employee who ran 58 immigration-related searches in February 2026 after leaving the job and who is now under criminal investigation.
Jenkins said Inkster had finalized its Flock Safety expansion before the former deputy incident became public, according to the station. She said the city has safeguards in place for potential misuse, including an audit feature designed to flag potential misuse for administrative review. Employees found violating the rules, Jenkins said, will no longer be employed by the city.
Oakland County's Drone Pilot and State Lawmakers Respond
Inkster isn't alone in pushing deeper into Flock's expanding product line. In April 2026, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners voted 13-4 to approve Project Prove It, a nine-month pilot program deploying seven Flock Safety drones to automatically respond to 911 calls, with an option for a two-year extension costing $2.5 million, according to FOX 2 Detroit. The pilot faced hours of public opposition during commission hearings before passing.
Not every resident in Inkster is opposed. One resident identified only as Diddier told the station they support preventing crime in the community. An unnamed resident raised concerns about privacy and how surveillance information gets shared. Statewide, Michigan State Representatives Jimmie Wilson Jr. and Doug Wozniak introduced bipartisan House Bills 5492 and 5493, a package addressing automated license plate readers, in January 2026, per Michigan House Republicans.
A Transparency Portal and the Road Ahead
The ACLU of Michigan has campaigned against automated license plate reader technology and held a virtual town hall in Michigan about the issue. Civil rights groups argue that 24/7 passive vehicle tracking without a warrant violates state and federal constitutional privacy rights.
Inkster plans to launch a transparency portal on its website in November 2026 that is expected to include Flock Safety statistics, city policies, and information about data handling, intended to give residents insight into how the system operates and how the city manages collected information. The city's drone is expected to be in use before the end of 2026.
