FLINT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A Michigan college student wants to know exactly how local government is using Flock surveillance cameras – and he’s taking Genesee County to court to get answers.

Kettering University student Josh Tewolde filed a lawsuit against the county after officials withheld several records he requested under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed the case on his behalf Aug. 18 in Genesee County Circuit Court.

What Does Flock Know?

MORE NEWS: Pontiac Mom Sentenced to Prison After Abandoning Children for Years

Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers photograph passing vehicles, capturing license plates and details such as make, model and color. The information is stored in a searchable database that law enforcement can use in investigations.

Tewolde requested a map showing camera locations, audit logs identifying who accessed the system and when, and records showing scans of his own vehicle. He also asked for the county’s contracts with Flock, policies and training materials governing use of the technology and data sharing, and previous Flock-related FOIA requests and responses.

The county turned over some documents but withheld the camera locations, audit logs and vehicle-scan records, arguing that the data belonged to Flock rather than the county. Tewolde’s attorneys disagree, saying in the lawsuit that “Genesee County is the owner of the data shared with Flock via the Flock cameras under contract with the county.”

Steve Delie, senior attorney at the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, says, “Genesee County can’t outsource transparency to a private vendor. If the county owns the data, FOIA applies – period.”

A Bigger Question About Public Records

That dispute could have implications well beyond one student’s FOIA request.
The Mackinac Center argues the case raises a larger question about whether a government agency can avoid public-records requirements simply because a private company stores or manages its surveillance data.

“When government uses surveillance technology, the public has a right to audit how it is being used,” Delie said.