Council directs $15,000 pilot for stationary ALPR cameras; staff to report by Q1 2026

The Mercer Island City Council on May 20 approved a pilot program to test stationary automatic license plate reader (ALPR) equipment on the island and appropriated $15,000 from available funds to support installation, operation and evaluation.

Deputy Mayor Rosenbaum moved the addition to the police department’s 2025‑26 work plan to pilot stationary ALPR units and to return to council no later than the first quarter of 2026 with findings on system performance, operational evaluation, legal and privacy considerations, community feedback and recommended policies. Councilmember Weicker and staff described the pilot as a limited, time‑bound test intended to gather operational data before any broader deployment.

Discussion focused on public‑records implications and data retention. Interim police staff and representatives who had worked with neighboring agencies said Flock (a widely used ALPR vendor) typically retains raw plate data for about 30 days unless data is flagged for evidentiary reasons; agencies receive “hits” only when predefined parameters are matched (for example, stolen vehicles, missing persons, wanted fugitives), and the department would define retention and access policies as part of the pilot. Several councilmembers raised privacy and public‑records concerns and asked for definitive legal guidance. The city manager and police staff said the city attorney would be engaged before deployment and that staff would draft policy and community outreach materials.

The council vote passed 5–1 (Councilmember Reynolds opposed). Vote tally on the motion: Deputy Mayor Rosenbaum — Aye; Councilmember Weicker — Aye; Councilmember Andral — Aye; Mayor Saleem Nees — Aye; Councilmember Reynolds — Nay; Councilmember Weinberg — Aye. The motion included an appropriation of $15,000 and a direction to return with a report by Q1 2026.