LANSING, MI (WTVB) – A bill introduced in the Michigan Senate would limit how police and government agencies access and store information collected by automatic license plate readers.
Under the proposal, law enforcement would generally be required to obtain a search warrant before accessing license plate database records gathered by Flock and other traffic surveillance cameras.
The bill introduced by State Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) seeks to establish robust privacy guardrails for law-abiding drivers, though it builds in explicit warrant exceptions for active criminal investigations, missing-person cases, and tracking stolen vehicles.
In addition to the warrant requirement, the legislation would mandate that all collected license plate data be automatically deleted after 14 days if it is not actively being used for a permitted investigation.
The Coldwater Police Department currently uses four Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras, which were installed in 2023, These cameras operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to scan passing vehicle license plates. Like installations across Michigan, the use of these automated readers has drawn mixed public response locally regarding data privacy.
While local law enforcement associations have expressed opposition due to existing internal department policies, Runestad says the need for statewide public control over corporate data storage, stating that passively tracking residents 24/7 is a drastic overreach.
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