Troy police conducted immigration-related searches using Flock license plate reader data, a Detroit News analysis of audit logs found. The department said the searches supported a criminal investigation and complied with its guidelines.
Troy was one of five Metro Detroit agencies that confirmed immigration-related Flock searches since January 2025. The findings come as the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office investigates a former employee’s access to the database after leaving the agency.
The Detroit News traced April searches labeled for immigration-related surveillance to a Troy officer working with a DEA task force. ICE became involved in the investigation, according to Fox 2 Detroit.
Troy police spokesman John Julian told the Detroit News that officers do not enforce immigration law, but that criminal investigations sometimes intersect with immigration status. He said the searches complied with department guidelines because they concerned a criminal investigation. The department has since removed the immigration-criminal search category from its Flock system, Julian said.
The other agencies identified were the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Taylor, Southfield and Brownstown Township.
The Detroit News analysis found more than 120 searches from 12 Michigan agencies containing “immigration” or “ICE” since January 2025. Some entries were mistakes, including “ICE” entered instead of “VICE.” Five agencies confirmed immigration-related searches, though their explanations varied.
Oakland County investigation
A former Oakland County sheriff’s employee conducted at least 58 immigration-related Flock searches in February 2026, according to audit logs analyzed by the Detroit News.
Sheriff’s office spokesman Tyler Sweers said the searches were unauthorized. He told the newspaper that the criminal investigation focused on the individual continuing to access the database after leaving the agency.
Under the sheriff’s policy, officers may use the system to find missing people, locate criminal suspects or identify vehicles flagged for police attention.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard declined an interview, citing the investigation. The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office told the Detroit News that no charges had been filed at the time of its reporting.
In March, Undersheriff Timothy Willis told Pontiac City Council members that ICE had neither requested nor received the agency’s Flock data.
Before the investigation was publicly announced, commissioners questioned Flock safeguards at a Sept. 17 county board meeting, WXYZ reported. Capt. Steve Schneider, the sheriff’s chief technology officer, described the county’s database as secured and encrypted.
How the former employee gained access remains unresolved, according to WXYZ.
Privacy concerns and proposed restrictions
Several Metro Detroit communities, including Clawson, Ferndale and Eastpointe, have ended Flock contracts amid privacy concerns. St. Clair Shores temporarily covered its cameras while officials reviewed their use, WXYZ reported.
Christine Sauve of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center told Fox 2 that license plate readers were another tool local agencies could use to assist immigration enforcement.
State lawmakers have proposed restrictions on license plate reader data. Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake Township, proposed warrant requirements with exceptions for active criminal investigations, missing-person cases and stolen-vehicle investigations. His proposal would require deletion after 14 days when data is not being used for those purposes, according to his office’s summary.
At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, introduced legislation Oct. 14 that would prohibit federal funding for covered automated surveillance systems and bar federal agencies from using them, the Detroit News reported.
Oakland County commissioners are expected to vote in December on extending the county’s separate Flock Safety drone program, according to WXYZ.
