INKSTER, Mich. — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit brought a new House bill to Inkster on Wednesday aimed at shutting off federal dollars for automated mass-surveillance tools such as Flock license-plate readers, standing where that city just locked in a long-term Flock contract.
Filed as House Resolution 10807 and nicknamed for pushing Flock systems out of neighborhoods, the package landed Tuesday and was sent to Oversight and Government Reform plus Judiciary. It would also condition some federal policing grants on cities and states dropping those camera networks.
Tlaib said local governments are spending millions on AI gear that mislabels residents instead of putting money into housing, clean water and steady power. Her office calls it the lone bill in Congress built as a total ban on automated mass-surveillance gear, covering biometric and face-scanning tools too.
Inkster’s expansion collides with a metro Detroit pullback. Nearby Westland canceled its deal, and suburbs from Ferndale to St. Clair Shores to Lincoln Park have also cut contracts or covered cameras. Her staff counted more than 200 cities and counties nationwide that have walked away.
Detroit-based digital justice organizer Tawana Petty backed the effort, saying agencies and vendors have not earned public trust. Tlaib holds Michigan’s 12th District seat covering parts of Detroit and nearby suburbs.
