Student Sues Genesee County Over Denied Access to Flock Camera Records

Student Challenges Genesee County Over Public Records Access

A Genesee County resident and Kettering University student has initiated legal action against the county, alleging a refusal to release public records concerning the use of Flock Cameras. The student, who has a longstanding interest in automated license plate readers, previously built a similar device during high school.

Earlier this year, the student submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Genesee County. This request sought details about the county’s contract with Flock Safety, the locations of the cameras, access logs, and any scans involving his vehicle.

The student expressed a desire to share the data publicly, enabling residents to understand Flock’s impact in their community. “As it stands now, it’s a one-way camera,” he noted. “The government can see you, but you cannot see back into the government. The government is not transparent. And so long as it remains this way, I think that the cameras are a threat to privacy rights more broadly.”

However, Genesee County denied most parts of the request, claiming that the documents belong to Flock and are not available for public access. In contrast, Flock publicly asserts that the data collected by its cameras is owned by its customers, a stance echoed in the county’s contract with the company.

Disappointed by the county’s response, the student sought assistance from Steve Delie, a senior attorney at the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. The foundation is linked to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which promotes free-market policies. Delie agreed to represent the student, and a complaint was filed in the Genesee County 7th Judicial Circuit Court.

“Government can’t simply contract away transparency obligations,” Delie stated. “You can’t rely on a third party and then say ‘well, that’s a third party, those records are no longer public.’”

The student hopes the lawsuit will compel the county to release the records and spark a larger dialogue on government transparency. “With this, we have a chance to really draw a line in the sand and say that government cannot hide behind contractors or third parties to prevent the release of government records,” he said. “If we’re paying for something with our tax dollars, we deserve to know what’s going on.”

Requests for comments from Genesee County and Flock Safety have not yet received responses.