Weeks after Lansing's City Council voted to ask the mayor to end all Flock license plate reader contracts, a neighboring city chose the opposite path.

Jackson's City Council voted 5-2 on Sept. 8 to accept federal grant money that will keep its 10 Flock cameras running for another year, WILX reported. The vote approved an agreement between the City of Jackson and Jackson County to split a federal Justice Assistance Grant. Jackson's share totals more than $28,000. Jackson County will receive more than $14,000.

For Lansing-area residents watching their own council's push to remove Flock cameras, the Jackson decision sharpens a regional divide over surveillance technology.

Jackson Police Chief Chris Simpson said the grant money will cover the city's annual Flock subscription, which costs approximately $28,000 per year. No new cameras will be added.

"We have a balancing act of public safety and civil liberties," Simpson said at the meeting. "We certainly don't want to infringe on anybody's civil liberties."

The 5-2 vote marked a shift.

John Warmb, a DeFlock Lansing organizer, told WILX that previous Jackson council votes on Flock technology had been unanimous. Jackson first installed Flock cameras in 2022, Warmb said. He said he sees the split vote as a sign of growing awareness about the privacy risks the technology poses.

Lansing's non-binding vote

Lansing's City Council voted 7-1 on Aug. 24 on a resolution introduced by 1st Ward Council Member Ryan Kost asking the city administration and the Lansing Police Department to end contracts for 26 Flock cameras at seven locations. Kost said the council received about 100 written and in-person comments before the vote, and "99%" wanted the cameras removed. Council President Peter Spadafore cast the lone dissenting vote, saying the resolution was rushed and had unclear consequences beyond the Flock contracts.

But the resolution does not carry the force of law. Lansing operates under a strong mayor system, and Mayor Andy Schor's spokesperson Scott Bean said after the vote, "Mayor Schor appreciates the input of the people that commented last night and the City Council through their resolution request," according to the Lansing State Journal. Bean said the council does not have the authority to force the administration to stop using the cameras.

Kost told the Lansing State Journal on Aug. 25 that he was working with the city attorney to explore whether an ordinance mandating the end of Flock contracts is possible. "This won't just disappear … The public is not going to stop talking about these things," Kost said.

The Lansing Police Department, through spokeswoman Jordan Gulkis, said in an Aug. 25 statement that the department was disappointed by the council's decision and argued the cameras are valuable investigative tools.

Eight other Michigan communities had canceled or rejected Flock contracts within the past year as of the Lansing vote, according to WLNS.

No public timeline has been set for when Lansing's mayor or police department must respond to the council resolution, or when a potential ordinance could be introduced.