The Detroit Documenters have been taking notes on growing tensions in Ferndale. 

The Ferndale Police Department has contracted with Flock Safety, an automated license plate reader company, for over a year. Now, city officials are considering renewing the contract with Flock Safety. 

Most of the license plate reader cameras are along the Ferndale-Detroit border, and some people are worried it could result in police disproportionately targeting Black residents. 

The Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Ferndale’s chief of police in 2014, asking for an investigation into traffic stops in the city. That letter came after several complaints from Black drivers about arrest statistics at the Ferndale-Detroit border. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt sat down with Detroit Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade to learn more. 

More stories from The Metro on Monday, March 3, 2025.

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