A version of this column originally appeared in Michigan Advance.
Imagine you’re preparing to drive home from a doctor’s appointment when a law enforcement officer approaches your vehicle, takes a photo of your car, and sends it to federal law enforcement, as well as local and state police to store for a year or more. Now imagine that takes place every time you get in your car and go about your daily life. This, in effect, has been happening in Michigan due to the proliferation of unregulated automatic license plate readers (ALPRs). Proposed legislation aims to create a legal framework that sets common-sense guardrails in the state to ensure their use is not invasive and respects constitutional rights.
While ALPRs can be used for legitimate policing, the current lack of a governance framework means that a surprising amount of personal data is vulnerable to misuse or abuse. These plate readers work by automatically photographing your car and checking your plate number against a hotlist to search for stolen vehicles, outstanding warrants or persons needed for ongoing investigations. Authorities are then automatically notified if a match is found. However, the photos and data collected aren’t just saved for the vehicles on the hotlist — they are saved for all drivers regardless of their record. This is all possible without a warrant.
The amount of data collected can be staggering. Officially, with each photo, authorities aim to capture the license plate number, the make, model and color of the vehicle, the date, time and location, and even vehicle owner registration information provided by the Secretary of State. In addition, photographs of the back of the car can capture images of passengers, bumper stickers and details of the surrounding area. In the city of Taylor alone, 50 mounted cameras, along with 27 more vehicle-mounted ALPRs, scanned over 9 million plates per month. These cameras are now deployed across Michigan — along interstate highways, important intersections and many other locations. Taken together, authorities can use pictures from ALPRs mounted across at least 125 Michigan cities and counties to map a person’s daily movements, revealing where they live, work, worship, receive medical care, or otherwise spend their time.
The use of these new tools already extends beyond traditional law enforcement agencies to include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Most ALPRs in Michigan are provided by Flock Safety, which is likely used by CBP. An investigation by 404 Media found that these agencies had access to 80,000 cameras nationwide, and local agencies have searched ALPR databases for immigration-related reasons, sometimes in collaboration with state or local police. Expanding the tools of surveillance to federal immigration enforcement agencies that are routinely violating constitutional rights and ignoring court orders could further erode democratic institutions, increase the risk of wrongful imprisonment and leave our communities less safe.
And mistakes do happen. Over a six-month investigation, CBS found more than a dozen cases when ALPRs, sometimes in combination with human error, led to wrongful stops, along with cases when the technology was abused. In New Mexico, an ALPR that mistook the number 2 for the number 7 ended up with an innocent 12-year-old girl in handcuffs. In Detroit, police handcuffed a mother and put her and her 2-year-old autistic child in a squad car, impounding her car for over three weeks after using ALPRs to mistakenly tie her vehicle to a shooting two miles away.
Michigan lacks a comprehensive legal framework governing the use of ALPRs that could put innocent people in dangerous situations and betray data privacy. To address this lack of oversight, Republican Rep. Doug Wozniak and Democratic Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. have partnered to sponsor House Bill package 5492 and 5493 that would clarify when and how ALPR data can be used across the state. Among the bills’ most important provisions are the requirements for judicial warrants to access camera information for criminal cases, the limiting of data retention to 14 days and public reporting on their use.
Michigan has a clear roadmap with at least 16 other states already enacting similar legislation and it’s time for lawmakers to follow.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
