Who decides
The people in the room.
Two bodies will shape whether — and how — drones and other surveillance come to Detroit: the City Council and the Board of Police Commissioners. Here's who they are, what the public record shows, and how to reach them. Where someone has no documented position, we say so plainly.
Detroit City Council
Holds the contract and the budget
Detroit's City Council changed in the November 2025 election: Mary Sheffield was elected Mayor (the city's first woman mayor), and two open seats were filled by Renata Miller (D5) and Denzel McCampbell (D7). James Tate was chosen Council President (5–4) and Coleman Young II President Pro Tem. The Council holds the binding vote — and the budget — on any surveillance contract under the CIOGS ordinance.
Police matters are vetted first by the Public Health & Safety Standing Committee — chaired by Gabriela Santiago-Romero, with Denzel McCampbell as vice chair and Mary Waters as a member (President Tate sits ex-officio). It meets Mondays at 10am. That committee is the earliest place a drone or surveillance proposal would surface.
James Tate
District 1 · Council President
Has backed police techVoted for the 2020 facial-recognition contract and 2023 plate-reader expansion; favors a public process on drones. Voted against the 2026 data-center moratorium (objected to its length).
Angela Whitfield-Calloway
District 2
Mixed recordVoted AGAINST the 2022 ShotSpotter expansion but FOR the 2023 plate-reader expansion. No documented position on drones.
Scott Benson
District 3
Has backed police techVoted for the 2023 plate-reader expansion; seated for the 2021 CIOGS ordinance. Sponsored the 2026 data-center moratorium.
Latisha Johnson
District 4
Has raised concernsVoted AGAINST the 2023 plate-reader expansion, saying the city already had adequate coverage. Spoke for the data-center moratorium.
Renata Miller
District 5 · Newly elected
Not yet on recordWon the seat Mary Sheffield vacated; UAW retiree. Campaigned on expanding neighborhood policing; no documented position yet on surveillance technology.
Gabriela Santiago-Romero
District 6 · Public Safety chair
Has raised concernsAmong the council's clearest skeptics: voted against the 2022 ShotSpotter renewal and 2023 plate-reader expansion; presses DPD on data access and ICE sharing.
Denzel McCampbell
District 7 · Public Safety vice chair
Has raised concernsDocumented critic; campaigned against over-policing and surveillance. Requested a report on whether city contractors sell or share data.
Mary Waters
At-Large
Mixed recordVoted AGAINST the 2022 ShotSpotter expansion but has spoken favorably of plate readers after hearing they helped solve crimes.
Coleman Young II
At-Large · President Pro Tem
Has backed police techVoted for the 2023 plate-reader expansion and against the 2026 data-center moratorium. Other surveillance positions not documented.
Board of Police Commissioners
Approves how DPD uses the technology
Detroit elected a largely NEW Board of Police Commissioners in November 2025; seven members took office January 2026. The 11-member civilian board (7 elected, 4 mayor-appointed) approves DPD's use policies for technology. Because the board is new, most members have no public record yet on surveillance — we'll update as they vote.
Eva Garza Dewaelsche
Appointed · Chair
Has backed police techVoted YES on the 2019 facial-recognition policy (Directive 307.5) — one of only two current members who took part in that vote.
Darryl Woods
Appointed · Vice-Chair
Not yet on recordAppointed and confirmed in 2024. No documented position on surveillance technology.
Robert Jones
Appointed
Not yet on recordAppointed in 2025 after a long career at AT&T. No documented position on surveillance.
Henrietta Ivey
District 1 · Newly elected
Not yet on recordWon as a write-in; longtime homecare worker and labor advocate. No documented surveillance position yet.
Lavish T. Williams
District 2 · Newly elected
Not yet on recordTook office January 2026. No documented surveillance position yet.
Darious Morris
District 3 · Newly elected
Not yet on recordTook office January 2026. No documented surveillance position yet.
Scott Boman
District 4 · Newly elected
Not yet on recordTook office January 2026. No documented surveillance position yet.
Beverly J. Watts
District 5 · Newly elected
Not yet on recordWon as a write-in. No documented surveillance position yet.
Lisa Carter
District 6 · Re-elected
Has backed police techServing a fourth term; the only sitting elected member who voted on the 2019 facial-recognition policy — she voted YES.
Victoria Camille
District 7 · Newly elected
Not yet on recordDescribes herself as a police-accountability organizer; no recorded surveillance vote yet.
Positions reflect the documented public record — votes and reported statements — as of June 2026. People change their minds, and new members build records over time; we'll keep this current. The most reliable way to know where someone stands is to ask them at a public meeting. Here's how.
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