Houghton County board, 4-1, urges Lansing to regulate license plate readers before any local Flock-style contract

HOUGHTON, Mich. — The Houghton County Board of Commissioners has gone on record asking the state to set rules for automated license plate readers before any local government signs a contract for them.

The board voted 4-1 at its Oct. 13 meeting to adopt Resolution #26-28, a measure brought by resident Katie LaCosse, The Mining Gazette reported. Commissioner Glenn Anderson moved it and Gretchen Janssen seconded; Joel Keranen voted no.

What it says. The resolution supports Michigan House Bill 5492, which would regulate private use of plate-reader systems and the data they collect, and House Bill 5493, which covers use by state and local governments. It says mass tracking of drivers without suspicion or a warrant conflicts with constitutional privacy rights, and advises against contracts with companies such as Flock Safety until the Legislature acts.

Before the vote, the board removed a paragraph that would have barred federal immigration agencies, including ICE and the Border Patrol, from any county plate-reader data. Commissioner Roy Britz had asked for that change at the Oct. 5 work session.

No cameras here. Sheriff Josh Saaranen, absent because of illness, said in a written communication that the technology is a valuable investigative tool but that the county has never used it and has no plans to, the Gazette reported. “I don’t see us moving in the Flock direction any time in the future,” Anderson said at the work session.

Our view. Plate readers can solve crimes, and they can also build a permanent log of where law-abiding people drive. Asking the Legislature to write clear limits, on retention, sharing and warrants, is a sensible conservative position: it protects both public safety and the Fourth Amendment. Dropping the immigration clause kept the resolution focused on privacy rather than a separate fight.

Sources:
The Mining Gazette, “County adopts resolution on plate reader regulations,” Oct. 2026 (vote, sponsors, bills, amendment, sheriff’s statement), https://www.mininggazette.com/news/local-news/2026/10/county-adopts-resolution-on-plate-reader-regulations/
The Keweenaw Report, “Houghton County Board of Commissioners have October meeting,” Oct. 14, 2026, https://keweenawreport.com/2026/10/14/houghton-county-board-of-commissioners-have-october-meeting-vote-no-to-alprs/
The Mining Gazette, “Transfer station discussed,” Oct. 2026 (work session ALPR discussion, Anderson quote), https://www.mininggazette.com/news/local-news/2026/10/transfer-station-issues/
Photo: Tony Webster, “Flock Safety License Plate Reader Camera in Colorado (55307233186).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flock_Safety_License_Plate_Reader_Camera_in_Colorado_(55307233186).jpg

Houghton

Tags: Houghton · News · License Plate Readers · Privacy · Houghton County · Flock Safety