OCEANA COUNTY, Mich. — A number of automatic license plate readers will soon be removed from Oceana County.
On Wednesday, the Oceana County Road Commission revoked the right of way permits that had previously allowed for several ALPRs to be installed on roads maintained by the county.
The commission also mandated board approval for future installations, as submitted and provided to the board.
"I talk to a lot of people every day in our county," said commissioner Andrew Heykoop, who proposed the resolution. "They want a voice. They elected us to be their voice. We are their voice, and this is me being that voice."
Prior to the comission's vote, which was unanimous, Heykoop read a prepared statement.
"A large corporation has attorneys, engineers, permit specialists, and the resources necessary to navigate a permitting system," he said.
"The average citizen of Oceana County doesn't have those resources; they have us."
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The commission's action comes after the Oceana County Sheriff's Office pulled out of a pilot program by Flock Safety, a private technology company that builds ALPRs and ALPR-related software able to be used and searched by law enforcement agencies for the purposes of solving crime.
A total of 17 cameras on roads under county jurisdiction — seven already installed and ten set to be installed, according to the road commission — were part of the program.
"This was a 'prove it' project," Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast said. "The intention was to try some cameras in our community and see how they were received, how they worked, and what success we had with them."
The 90-day trial run that would have allowed for around 30 Flock Safety cameras to be installed around the county was never fully operational, according to Mast, as public pushback soon prompted his office to "rescind" it.
He says the technology came at no cost to taxpayers and, during the days it was online, helped in the solving of one property crime.
"Flock still works, it still helps solve crimes," Mast said.
"We really feel that this is how small county government is supposed to work," he added. "We tried a project, we listened to the community feedback, and we responded accordingly with that feedback."
In September, Flock Safety will take down its cameras connected to the program.
"The entire concept of ALPRs connected to AI-powered mass surveillance systems are a massive infringement on our civil liberties," said Andrew Mullen, an Oceana County resident and a council member for the City of Hart.
Mullen attended the Oceana County Road Commission meeting on Wednesday and, earlier in the week, said he had given an "impassioned plea" to his fellow council members about banning ALPRs in Hart.
"I install security cameras for a number of different local businesses," Mullen said. "I don't have problems with local businesses maintaining security. My issue comes when these [ALPR] systems become ingrained and go beyond the scope of your local municipality or your local business."
"I'm very proud of our local municipality here and the Oceana Road Commission for doing what they did," he said.
