Inkster Boosts Safety with New Flock Tech, Cameras, Drone

Inkster is gearing up for a major safety upgrade. The city signed a ten‑year agreement with Flock to add a suite of new tools. The deal covers twenty license‑plate scanners, five video cameras, forty‑48 gunshot detectors, and a single drone. Most of the gear is already in place. The municipality had started with just six readers back in 2023. Mayor Byron Nolen praised the move as a proactive step toward preventing crime and speeding up emergency responses.

The drone is slated to become operational between mid‑November and early December. Police highlighted a recent shooting where the system helped track down a suspect fast. Without the technology, officers said they would have struggled to locate the person while handling other calls. The department credits the network for cutting response times and improving community safety.

Privacy concerns have surfaced, and Inkster outlined how it plans to address them. Officers must have an active investigation and a case number before pulling data from Flock. Routine recordings are wiped after thirty days unless they are kept as evidence. Flock explained that any suspicious search will trigger a flag for an administrator to review. A future lock‑out feature will temporarily block access if misuse is suspected. Police Chief Tamika Jenkins warned that any employee caught abusing the system will be fired. A transparency portal launching on November first will publish policies, usage stats, and data‑sharing details for the public.

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