PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — A controversial 911 drone contract with Flock Safety continues to be a hot topic in Oakland County, with residents packing Board of Commission meetings. The 7 Investigators have learned more information about the Oakland County Commission chair’s visit to Flock headquarters and how this deal came about.
Watch Heather Catallo's video report:
The Flock drone contract is one of the key reasons Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair Dave Woodward, D-Royal Oak, is facing a recall effort.
The 7 Investigators were the first to report that Flock paid for a trip to bring Woodward and other county officials to their headquarters last fall. And the controversy over Flock Safety continues to fire up crowds in Oakland County.
“Please do the right thing and cancel Oakland County's contract with Flock immediately,” Birmingham resident Danielle Mallon said at the last Oakland County Board of Commission meeting.
When Woodward and other commissioners moved public comment until after a vote approving the Flock 911 response drones at an April meeting, the hundreds of residents who showed up to protest the county’s contract with Flock were furious.
Woodward’s actions prompted the group “I Am Oakland County” to start a recall campaign against the long-time commission chair.
Previous coverage: Oakland County Commission Chair Dave Woodward faces recall effort as 7 reveals new trip paid by drone company
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has used drones for emergency response from a different company for more than four years and have been needing to replace their equipment due to new federal rules.
“They've had a drone as a first responder program for a couple of years now under a different provider. But now, they're looking at the Flock system and being able to have more coverage around the county,” Flock Safety spokesperson Paris Lewbel said.
Lewbel says when their drones launch to respond to 911 calls, the cameras are pointed at the horizon and not surveilling people or property.
Even though records show Oakland County has had Flock license plate reader contracts that total $309,500 since 2022, many residents now say they are concerned about privacy violations from Flock.
“A technology that enables broad persistent tracking of our movements without warrants, without individualized suspicion and without clear public consent does not make us safer,” Novi resident Mary Miller said at the June 11 board meeting.
“I'm not going to vote for Democrats who think that the answer to public safety is more surveillance rather than health and safety of the people,” another Oakland County resident said at the April meeting, where Woodward and others moved the public comment until after the Flock vote.
Previous coverage: Did Oakland County commission head use position to help along possible Sheetz in Waterford?
The push to get the county-wide Flock drone trial program approved happened within three weeks: it was approved in the Public Health and Safety committee on March 24, then voted on by the full commission on April 8.
“It happened very quickly. Given that it is such a hot topic these days, one would think that we would do our due diligence,” said Oakland County Commissioner Kristen Nelson, D-Waterford.
Nelson voted against the Flock pilot program. Nelson says when they voted, she and her fellow commissioners did not know that six months prior to that vote, Woodward and two sheriff’s officials had travelled to Flock headquarters in Atlanta.
“We later found out on the news through your story that Dave (Woodward) had visited Flock headquarters last fall. And I’ve got to tell you, it raised a lot of questions in regards why hide it?” Nelson told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo.
The 7 Investigators were the first to report that Flock paid for that trip.
“If it's all above board, why wouldn't you tell everyone?” Justine Galbraith said.
Galbraith is one of the organizers of the effort to recall Woodward.
“I’m not going to discuss my private business affairs,” Woodward told Catallo during an interview in August 2025 about his outside consulting business Woodward & Associates.
Since last summer, the 7 Investigators have been exposing questions about Woodward’s business that works with companies like the Sheetz gas station chain that’s been expanding throughout Oakland County.
“Isn't that a conflict of interest for you as an elected official?” Catallo asked.
“Absolutely not. There is no conflict,” Woodward said.
Woodward earns $82,500 for his part-time job as Board of Commissioners chair.
“Because he won't disclose his outside business interests, does that raise more questions for you when you hear he's going to visit a company?” Catallo asked.
“Of course, of course. People have asked what his other streams of income are, and he won't disclose that. He was against financial disclosure when it came to a vote back in the fall. He was against ethics reform, against transparency reform,” Galbraith said.
“Is Dave Woodward a paid consultant for Flock?” Catallo asked Lewbel.
“He is not,” Lewbel said.
Lewbel says Flock is not paying Woodward or any of the commission chair’s outside companies, but Flock did foot the bill for the three Oakland County officials’ hotel, flights and meals during their visit to headquarters last November.
“In instances where it can be a gift to the agency to be able to come down and see technology, we do that. It is up to the Agency to report that in the ways that they need to report it to accept that as a gift,” Lewbel said.
A county spokesman says there is no rule they know of that would have required Woodward to disclose his trip to Flock headquarters prior to his vote to approve the deal.
“One would think that you would divulge that, and share pros, cons of what you learned from that trip. And it's really unfortunate that no one knew that that trip took place,” Nelson said.
Woodward would not talk to the 7 Investigators for this story, but previously sent us this statement about his Flock-paid trip:
“The job of an elected official is to make informed decisions in the best interest of my community, so I do my homework and I do my research. I was invited to attend a meeting with the leadership of Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about the service. It was an opportunity to better understand the technology and address my privacy concerns directly with the company’s senior leadership. We also visited a local police department that’s currently using this tool and spoke with the police chief and his staff about its effectiveness in supporting public safety.”
The 7 Investigators have also reviewed internal county documents that show the pursuit of the Flock free-trial program is listed as a Board of Commissioners initiative.
“Are you aware that this was a board initiative?” Catallo asked.
“Not aware at all. And I'm actually shocked to hear this considering that the documentation that we as commissioners have and the public have, it clearly states that it is a sheriff's department recommendation,” Nelson said. “So, it sounds like there's some additional information that needs to be had in regards to really who was exactly the person or people who drove this initiative of utilizing the Flock Safety Group here in Oakland County.”
Previous coverage: Oakland Co. commission head defends Sheetz side job, denies conflict of interest
Internal county document tracking provided to the 7 Investigators shows the Flock proposal on the board’s agenda was created by the board’s chief of staff. Commissioners say the chief of staff reports directly to Woodward.
“It's just another reason that the public doesn't trust what's happening in their local government because of the secrecy and the resistance to any kind of transparency,” Galbraith said.
A sheriff’s office public information officer sent us this statement:
“The Sheriff’s Office has operated a Drone program for more than four years, and our existing drone platform has reached the point where replacement is necessary. The need to evaluate and replace that equipment was communicated to both Board leadership and Executive Office leadership well before any resolution regarding a pilot program was introduced.
"Regardless of where the resolution originated, the Sheriff’s Office intended to evaluate multiple vendors and available technologies to determine the best path forward. As with any significant technology investment, our objective is to ensure we select the platform that provides the greatest effectiveness, reliability, and value for the residents we serve.
This was never about creating a drone program, we already have one. It is about responsibly assessing replacement options and identifying the most effective technology for the future.”
Sheriff’s officials told the 7 Investigators that no drone company has been selected for the long term.
Once the pilot programs are over, they plan to go out to bid and select the drone platform that’s the best option to keep the public safe and protect privacy.
The 7 Investigators have been asking Woodward for an interview since June 8.
Despite several calls, text messages, emails and a visit to his home, so far Woodward has refused to answer questions about Flock, other than his initial statement in April.
On Tuesday, a Board of Commissioners spokeswoman said in a statement:
“Regarding Flock, the Board of Commissioners approved the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to move forward with the nine-month free pilot for the Drones as First Responders (DFR) program. Any long-term decision would require a competitive RFP process and the Board would then review the Sheriff’s recommendation. We encourage you to direct any additional questions to the Sheriff’s office.”
