Retired Dearborn Officer Releases Records of Flock Surveillance on Himself and Wife

Retired Dearborn Police Officer Doug Topolski has authorized the release of records showing that Dearborn Police Department personnel repeatedly ran his and his wife’s license plates through the Flock Safety surveillance network — even though Topolski no longer lives in or near Dearborn.

The Flock records (publicly available at haveibeenflocked.com) show multiple 30-day searches conducted in October and November 2025 by Chief of Police Issa Shahin and Commander Tim McHale. The searches covered tens of thousands of cameras across Michigan. Topolski says the initials on the records match Chief of Police Issa Shahin and Commander Tim McHale, and he is the one who identified them as the individuals behind the searches.

Topolski states that these searches took place after he had repeatedly and publicly criticized the Dearborn Police Department and the mayor. He questions why a police department would use a widespread license-plate reader network to check on a retired officer living far outside the city.

A simple online search will reveal that police officers across the country are being disciplined and even criminally prosecuted for misusing the Flock surveillance network for personal reasons. Topolski wonders why using the network to track a critic of a local elected official who lives 250 miles away is any less egregious.

Topolski submitted a FOIA request (City of Dearborn Request 26-795) seeking any police reports containing his name or his wife’s name generated between June 1, 2025 and January 1, 2026. The Dearborn Police Department responded that a search of its records revealed no results.The screenshots of the Flock searches were provided by Topolski.