Midway council hears police briefing on automated license-plate readers; council signals support for pilot

Heber City Police Chief Parker Summer told the Midway City Council on Aug. 26 that automated license-plate readers (ALPRs) are investigative tools that have helped officers nationwide and in nearby Heber City to locate stolen vehicles, missing people and suspects.

“Automated license-plate readers are not ticket generators,” Chief Parker Summer said, adding they do not check registered owners’ licensing status or immigration status and “the information is not shared with the federal government.” He described examples in which the system led to arrests and to locating a missing person from Nebraska.

The council heard how the device works: roadside cameras photograph plates, the image is checked against the state database, and officers receive an alert within seconds if there is a hit for a stolen vehicle, amber/silver alert or a local “hot list” entry. Summer said the vendor’s administrative dashboards show searches must be justified by officers when they run them and that data retained in his jurisdiction is deleted every 30 days.

Why it matters: Councilmembers framed the question as a public-safety and budget decision. With Midway having a small road network but seasonal traffic spikes (Swiss Days and summer visitors), members said strategic camera placement on primary ingress/egress roads could help officers intercept vehicles entering town and speed investigations.

Details and council direction: - Coverage and costs: Summer said Heber City currently operates eight cameras. The vendor pricing Summer discussed runs roughly $2,000–$3,000 per camera per year; the vendor Flock Safety quoted about $3,000 per camera per year, while a competing vendor, Vigilant, recently offered lower pricing and a five-year price guarantee on some offers. Summer said one camera is already proposed for Midway and that Heber intends to move an additional camera to River Road to extend coverage; Midway staff discussed starting with one camera in town and expanding later. - Placement: Summer and councilmembers discussed locating cameras on major ingress/egress streets (South Center Street, Midway Lane and Mill Road) so reads occur as vehicles enter the city rather than while officers pursue vehicles beyond city limits. - Data retention and audit: Summer said “all the data is deleted every 30 days” and showed the system’s organizational audit that logs searches. He said officers must enter a reason for searches and that the system produces small still images of vehicles rather than high-resolution faces. - Operational use: Summer said ALPRs have produced leads in vehicle-theft, retail-theft and assault investigations and are used for local “hot lists” that notify officers in seconds when a target vehicle is detected.

Council response and next steps: Councilmembers asked about budget implications and whether a budget amendment would be required. Staff and Summer said the city could take a stepwise approach: (1) support staff pursuing options and pricing and (2) return to council for a final budget vote when quotes and a recommended vendor/locations are available. Multiple councilmembers indicated support for pursuing the technology pending final cost and contract review. Council direction recorded in the meeting was to continue investigating options, including possible demonstrations from competing vendors, and return with firm proposals for a budget decision.

Who spoke (excerpted): Chief Parker Summer, Heber City Police Department; Mayor Johnson (Midway mayoral seat referenced in discussion); Councilmember Craig (City Councilmember); Councilmember Lisa (City Councilmember); Councilmember Kevin (City Councilmember); Sergeant Braden (Heber/Heber-area sergeant referenced as program lead for cameras).

Ending note: Staff will return with vendor quotes and a recommendation; the council asked staff to follow Midway’s procurement and budget amendment processes before any contract or spending commitment is made.