The Sedona Police Department’s Automated License Plate Reader program with Flock Group, Inc. has been indefinitely shut off following a majority consensus of Sedona City Council members at a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 13, with about 50, sometimes clamorous, attendees in the audience.
The majority consensus was reached through Councilwomen Melissa Dunn and Kathy Kinsella and Councilmen Brian Fultz, Pete Furman and Derek J. Pfaff in support of direction to turn off the ALPRS, with only Mayor Scott Jablow leaning against the decision. Vice Mayor Holli Ploog was absent and out of the country.
The council additionally directed city staff to provide a timeline of past discussions by the city leading up to the installation of its current 11 Flock cameras with an additional one awaiting installation, form a citizen work group and return with a pilot program proposal.
The Flock cameras “are not mass surveillance” was repeatedly stated by Flock Director of Public Affairs Trevor Chandler and SPD Patrol Cmdr. Chris Dowell, who was the only person in the department with access to the Sedona ALPRs prior to their shutdown.
“ALPR is not a mass surveillance tool; it is a focused, objective investigative asset governed by strict data retention policies and transparency protocols. It enhances public safety without compromising community privacy,” Dowell said. “Under Supreme Court precedent, you do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in movement on public roadways. … Privacy on roadways and civil liberties are valid concerns … and that’s why we have the protocols in place. … In fact, we went a step above … in our policy Hot List entries cannot be made without a supervisor’s approval.”
“Hot lists” are license plates that have been flagged by law enforcement and are often associated with wanted persons or stolen vehicles. While those flagged plates have a narrow focus in order to record those vehicles an ALPR scans and records every single vehicle that passes through its field of vision. That data is then stored in the cloud and is typically held for 30 days.
“Mass surveillance is indiscriminate surveillance,” as defined by United Kingdom-based Privacy International. “Mass surveillance uses systems or technologies that collect, analyse, and/or generate data on indefinite or large numbers of people instead of limiting surveillance to individuals about which there is reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. Under currently available forms of mass surveillance, governments [and companies] can capture virtually all aspects of our lives.”
“It can pick up unique [vehicle] features, you don’t necessarily have to have a license plate,” Dowell said. “I can just put in ‘silver, Ford Explorer with [a] bumper sticker in the back window,’ and it will search that instead of just needing a license plate.” have noted that while data like that can appear innocuous, capturing details like bumper stickers can potentially record an individual’s political beliefs.
The full story will be in the Wednesday, Aug. 20, issue.
