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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Sterling Heights City Council Meeting - August 6, 2026

City Council Meetings — Thursday, August 6, 2026

BodySterling Heights, Michigan

SessionCity Council Meetings

DateThursday, August 6, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:46:46

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:04

Good evening, everyone.

2:05

I'd like to call this meeting of the Sterling Heights City Council to order.

2:08

If you would please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for the invocation.

2:13

I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

2:27

Dear God, please bless our elected officials.

2:30

Grant them courage and wisdom to do what is right for all citizens.

2:33

Amen.

2:41

Here.

2:45

This is Yerko.

2:46

Present.

2:46

Thank you, Council.

2:47

We need approval of the agenda.

2:49

Mayor Taylor.

2:49

Mrs.

2:50

Zarko.

2:51

Move to approve the agenda as presented.

2:53

Support.

2:53

It's been moved in support of any discussion.

2:55

Hearing none, all in favor say aye.

2:57

Aye.

2:57

Opposed.

2:58

Motion carries.

2:59

First item on our agenda tonight is a report from our city manager, Mark Vanderpool.

3:03

Mr.

3:03

Vanderpool.

3:04

Thank you, Mayor.

3:05

I have a couple of uh uh topics on my report this evening, including an important uh presentation.

3:12

But let me start by reminding everyone that our beautification awards process is underway, so help shine a light on our community members that makes Sterling Heights a better place for all.

3:25

If you know a neighbor who's gone above and beyond with their landscaping, uh nominate them for this year's beautification awards.

3:33

Many of you have seen our program in the past.

3:36

It's really wonderful to recognize the good work that individuals do, and many of the properties look absolutely beautiful.

3:43

Categories include single family homes, multifamily complexes, places of worship, businesses, and the Sterling Green Garden Award, recognizing sustainable front yard gardens through our Sterling uh Thinks Sterling Green Initiative.

4:00

So nominations are being accepted through the end of the month, actually, August 28th.

4:05

So all you have to do is send a photo of the front of the property to City Hall at Sterling Heights.gov.

4:13

It's a really simple uh couple of uh uh the address and a couple of comments and and that's all it takes.

4:21

And also uh some really good news.

4:23

I know the mayor and council already know about this, but the city of Sterling Heights has once again been nominated for the Michigan Municipal League 2026 Community Excellence Award.

4:35

The community excellence award was developed almost 20 years ago to celebrate innovative placemaking projects and programs happening all across the state.

4:50

Uh this October where attendees will vote on the best project, and there's four right now.

4:57

So uh we hope to be voted on the top project.

5:02

So this October Sterling Heights will compete for the top award.

5:06

It's really uh it's great for Sterling Heights.

5:10

We get to showcase the great work we've done with our community garden.

5:15

Uh which out of all the nominations statewide, we're down to the final four with our commute with our community garden, our butterfly conservancy, our micro garden, and all the components that make up that amazing park now.

5:32

So we're looking forward to showcasing this.

5:35

We're looking forward to bringing home the award.

5:37

I know the mayor and city council are looking forward to participating in this and showcasing everything we're doing in Sterling Heights once again.

5:46

And lastly, uh we have a comprehensive presentation on a very important policing tool uh that we are using in Sterling Heights.

5:56

In fact, it's widely used all across the country, and the technology has been used in our city in varying forms for many, many years.

6:06

Uh so with us this evening is our police chief, Andrew Satterfield, who's going to start out the presentation, and we have a couple of other uh follow-ups as part of the presentation.

6:18

Thank you.

6:20

Thank you.

6:20

Good evening, Mayor Taylor, honorable council members, Mr.

6:23

Vanderpool and City Attorney Kazubsky.

6:26

Um Captain Bisdorf and I are here to talk about our usage of automated license plate readers.

6:32

As there's been quite a bit of controversy recently on the system, specifically the flock system.

6:37

There's a lot of misconceptions on what flock is, and we hope to clear those up tonight.

6:43

We want to be completely transparent by explaining what it does, how it works, the value it gives to public safety, and the policy and oversights we have in place to use it properly and within the laws.

6:56

This is a headline from last year's Macomb Daily, last September.

7:00

We've been named the safest big biggest city in Michigan in the last six years in a row, according to the FBI annual report.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety████████████████████████████████████36%

Technology and Innovation███████████████████████████████████35%

Procedural████████████12%

Personnel Matters████████8%

Community Engagement███3%

Cannabis Regulation██2%

Public Engagement██2%

Arts And Culture█1%

Youth Programs█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Sterling Heights City Council Meeting - August 6, 2026

The Sterling Heights City Council met on August 6, 2026, at 14:28 UTC. The meeting included a detailed presentation on the police department's use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from Flock Safety, extensive council and public debate, the swearing-in of four new police officers, approval of a liquor license transfer for a new pool hall, and reports on city events.

Consent Calendar

The agenda was approved unanimously.
The consent agenda was approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Several residents spoke during the communications from citizens segment, overwhelmingly expressing opposition to the Flock camera system. Key points included:
- A resident stated that Flock is a data broker and has violated contracts by exposing municipal data; cited cancellations by Ferndale, Milford, Clawson, and Westland.
- A speaker presented FBI Crime Data Explorer statistics showing that Sterling Heights' overall clearance rate decreased from 34% (four years pre-Flock, 2019–2022) to 30% (three years post-Flock, 2023–2025). Specific crimes like motor vehicle theft and shoplifting showed stagnant or declining solve rates post-Flock.
- Another speaker cited ACLU data that less than 1% of scanned plates are linked to crime, and 1 in 10 plates are misread. Also noted that Flock employees have accessed cameras inappropriately (e.g., a children's gymnastics room).
- A resident warned of traffic safety risks from police responding to Flock hits.
- A speaker called for a municipally developed system instead.
- A retired police lieutenant with 26 years of experience spoke strongly in favor of Flock, sharing success stories of catching criminals (e.g., a purse snatcher, a gun-wielding suspect) and argued that the system is a valuable tool that makes the city safer.

Discussion Items

City Manager's Report: Mark Vanderpool announced the beautification awards (nominations due August 28) and Sterling Heights being a finalist for the Michigan Municipal League 2026 Community Excellence Award for the community garden project.
Flock ALPR Presentation: Police Chief Andrew Satterfield and Captain Jason Bisdorf presented on the use of 24 Flock cameras. They explained the technology captures license plates, vehicle make/model, date/time, and location; data retained 30 days; no facial recognition, no pan/tilt/zoom; policies require case number for searches; monthly audits; blocking of searches for immigration or reproductive care; and no federal access.
Council Discussion on Flock:
- Councilman Radkey expressed strong opposition, labeling it mass surveillance and dangerous. He proposed canceling the contract and creating a local misdemeanor for misuse. He noted that the presentation was not on the agenda and felt sandbagged.
- Councilwoman Sarowski asked detailed questions about heat maps, red flags, and external agency access. She supported a local misdemeanor and requested data on clearance rates before and after Flock.
- Councilman Schmidt kept an open mind but sought IT security details and noted that contract language may have changed.
- Councilman Yannis expressed concern about Fourth Amendment rights and oversight, but supported the tool as beneficial. He suggested contacting state legislators.
- Councilwoman Zarko supported the continuation, stating she is not worried if not doing anything wrong.
- Mayor Taylor expressed skepticism, noting the lack of quantified success data and concerns about data security and external searches from other agencies.
Key Decisions on Flock: No vote was taken on contract renewal (it was a report item). However, council directed (without objection) that the city terminate any Flock data-sharing agreements with agencies that have a 287(g) agreement (federal immigration enforcement). Council also requested a data analysis of clearance rates pre- and post-Flock, security information from Flock and the city's IT director, and confirmation of contract terms regarding data sharing.
Liquor License Transfer: Approved a request to transfer a Class C license with entertainment permit from Ladone's Bar and Grill (Chesterfield) to Palm Billiards at 42108 Van Dyke Avenue. The applicant confirmed conditional state approval and no prior violations. Approved unanimously.
Appointments: Postponed to the September 15 meeting for the Youth Advisory Board and Arts Commission, after a brief discussion about applications.

Key Outcomes

Flock: Council gave direction to terminate data-sharing with 287(g) agencies. No immediate action on contract renewal; further information requested.
Liquor license transfer approved unanimously.
New police officers sworn in: Four officers (Arthur Gilleski, Kevin Wilds, DeMario Walk, Robert Perrowitz) took their oaths.
Consent agenda and regular agenda approved.
Meeting adjourned after council comments on elections and Sterlingfest.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. I'd like to call this meeting of the Sterling Heights City Council to order. If you would please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for the invocation. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Dear God, please bless our elected officials. Grant them courage and wisdom to do what is right for all citizens. Amen. Here. This is Yerko. Present. Thank you, Council. We need approval of the agenda. Mayor Taylor. Mrs. Zarko. Move to approve the agenda as presented. Support. It's been moved in support of any discussion. Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. First item on our agenda tonight is a report from our city manager, Mark Vanderpool. Mr. Vanderpool. Thank you, Mayor. I have a couple of uh uh topics on my report this evening, including an important uh presentation. But let me start by reminding everyone that our beautification awards process is underway, so help shine a light on our community members that makes Sterling Heights a better place for all. If you know a neighbor who's gone above and beyond with their landscaping, uh nominate them for this year's beautification awards. Many of you have seen our program in the past. It's really wonderful to recognize the good work that individuals do, and many of the properties look absolutely beautiful. Categories include single family homes, multifamily complexes, places of worship, businesses, and the Sterling Green Garden Award, recognizing sustainable front yard gardens through our Sterling uh Thinks Sterling Green Initiative. So nominations are being accepted through the end of the month, actually, August 28th. So all you have to do is send a photo of the front of the property to City Hall at Sterling Heights.gov. It's a really simple uh couple of uh uh the address and a couple of comments and and that's all it takes. And also uh some really good news. I know the mayor and council already know about this, but the city of Sterling Heights has once again been nominated for the Michigan Municipal League 2026 Community Excellence Award. The community excellence award was developed almost 20 years ago to celebrate innovative placemaking projects and programs happening all across the state. Uh this October where attendees will vote on the best project, and there's four right now. So uh we hope to be voted on the top project. So this October Sterling Heights will compete for the top award. It's really uh it's great for Sterling Heights. We get to showcase the great work we've done with our community garden. Uh which out of all the nominations statewide, we're down to the final four with our commute with our community garden, our butterfly conservancy, our micro garden, and all the components that make up that amazing park now. So we're looking forward to showcasing this. We're looking forward to bringing home the award. I know the mayor and city council are looking forward to participating in this and showcasing everything we're doing in Sterling Heights once again. And lastly, uh we have a comprehensive presentation on a very important policing tool uh that we are using in Sterling Heights. In fact, it's widely used all across the country, and the technology has been used in our city in varying forms for many, many years. Uh so with us this evening is our police chief, Andrew Satterfield, who's going to start out the presentation, and we have a couple of other uh follow-ups as part of the presentation.

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