Who is watching Mid-Michigan? Inside the use of Flock license plate readers An investigation into how Lansing and Jackson police use automatic license plate readers, and the growing debate over oversight LANSING, Mich. — Automatic license plate readers have been surveilling Mid-Michigan roads for years, and a review of how the technology is used by the region’s two largest city police departments shows differences in policy, oversight and public trust. The cameras, made by Flock Safety, are mounted on utility poles, street lamps and traffic lights. They are subtle enough that most drivers would not give them a second glance, but they scan nearly every car that passes by. Flock cameras are in use in 50 Michigan counties. Customers include private businesses and law enforcement agencies, including the Lansing and Jackson police departments. Both departments say their goal is to solve crime faster. How the technology works The camera captures an image of a passing car. That image uploads to a searchable database. Officers can then search by plate, vehicle type, or an identifier like a cracked windshield. Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus said his officers use Flock data to find missing people, track down traffickers and catch thieves. “We’re always looking for what that next component of our investigations is going to be. So as we saw license plate readers start to be more advanced and more applicable to investigations, we definitely looked into that,” Backus said. “This is almost like a needle in a haystack,” Backus told News 10 Investigates. “We need to connect it to a person. We need to connect it to a location. That’s how we’re going to make progress in solving these crimes.” Jackson Police Chief Chris Simpson said the technology saves time during investigations. “Instead of relying or trying to comb through hours