Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act enables state and local law enforcement to be deputized on the DHS' behalf, allowing them to enforce federal immigration law. While 287(g) programs initially allowed local police to investigate detainees for immigration violations, since 2006, the programs have expanded into a "task force model" where police departments actively monitor the public for violations of civil immigration law. This model was discontinued in 2012, only to be revived in 2017 by Donald Trump. Today, 287(g) programs are essentially a pledge of allegiance; a way for law enforcement agencies ideologically aligned with the Trump administration to devote local resources to an already massive federal deportation operation, including license-plate readers like those from Flock Safety.

Despite City Council president Sarah Kepple's assurance that Lakewood Police Department is "not ICE friendly," LPD shares its Flock data with 66 law enforcement agencies with a 287(g) program, an overwhelming majority of which are out-of-state. Those in Ohio include Lake and Geauga County Sheriff's Offices. By sharing with these agencies, Lakewood PD enables them to use Lakewood city resources to carry out operations on behalf of ICE from afar. Each of these agencies have "task force model" 287(g) programs. This means ICE has backdoors nearby into Lakewood's Flock data to use as they wish in their national operation that has seen immigrants brutalized, people killed, and neighborhoods terrorized.

List of 287(g) Agencies LPD Shares With

Fusion Centers

Lakewood's license-plate reader data may also make it to federal agents another way. Fusions centers are regional surveillance facilities that allow state and local law enforcement to work directly with federal authorities, including the DHS and ICE. The concept took off after 9/11 when America saw its massive federal defense apparatus turn inward. Since then, fusion centers have labeled universities as terrorism threats, surveilled peaceful protests, and erroneously claimed Russia hacked a faulty water pump in Illinois. Despite their massive overreach, there is no substantial evidence that fusion centers have ever been effective for anything beyond surveillance for surveillance-sake. It's no surprise such a concept would employ a technology as wasteful and invasive as license-plate readers.

Lakewood Police Department also shares its Flock data with two fusion centers: The NE Ohio Regional Fusion Center, and the West Virginia Fusion Center. To paint a picture of just how ridiculously disproportionate fusion centers are, the NE Ohio Regional Fusion Center used its Flock account to investigate stolen Amazon packages. Keep in mind this is a facility justified as being a valuable counter-terrorism tool. Both fusion centers Lakewood shares with are open invitations for an amorphous security apparatus with poor oversight to negatively impact the lives of Lakewood's residents while making them no safer.

The City of Lakewood responded to our 800+ signature petition asking them to end their contract with Flock Safety by making incremental changes instead. These changes happened behind closed doors between the mayor and Lakewood Police Department alone, and the city never publicized them. The list of law enforcement that Lakewood shares with is apparently from after the changes were made. This isn't good enough. We continue to demand that the City of Lakewood end its contract with Flock Safety and discontinue the use of license-plate readers. Until that occurs, the City of Lakewood should remove all 66 agencies with 287(g) programs and both fusion centers from its sharing list.