Growing concern over police surveillance technology has launched a crowdsourced site to track installations of the Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras across the country. Most Flock devices in Detroit are near expressways and major intersections. There has been controversy over renewing Detroit’s contract with ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology that has not been proven to work reliably, lack of evidence that Project Green Light CCTV cameras reduce crime, and multiple instances of lawsuits from wrongful convictions supported by facial recognition.

The most successful effort that has reduced crime and murder in Detroit has been the Community Violence Intervention (CVI) program. Mayor Mary Sheffield has recently launched an Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety to anchor and expand these efforts that put community over technology as the key to repairing public safety.