Cedar City Police outline pilot of Flock Safety license‑plate readers amid resident privacy concerns

Cedar City police briefed the City Council on a pilot deployment of Flock Safety automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras, saying the cameras capture vehicle information to help solve crime and locate missing people. The police department said about 18 cameras are installed and roughly 35 will be placed around freeway ramps, major intersections and secondary entry points; the department expects to complete installation in the coming weeks and run the trial through about June 5.

The police presentation stressed the cameras record still images of vehicle rears — including license plate, make and color — and do not conduct facial recognition, nor are they red‑light or speed enforcement devices. Chief Adams said captured vehicle data is encrypted and stored on Amazon Web Services; it is retained for 30 days unless preserved as evidence in an active criminal investigation. He also said searches of the system require a documented reason and that officers must verify any ALPR “hit” through the appropriate law‑enforcement databases before taking action.

In public comment, resident Adam Hahn urged more transparency and stronger limits on sharing. Hahn expressed concern that the system creates a “warrantless search” because images of vehicles traveling in the city are recorded regardless of any suspicion, and he asked which outside agencies would be allowed to access Cedar City data and under what legal standard. Hahn and other speakers raised worst‑case scenarios involving past abusive officers elsewhere and pointed to lawsuits alleging misuse of ALPR data in other jurisdictions.

Council members and the chief discussed safeguards: the department emphasized that customers own their data and that Flock does not sell customer data; administrators control interagency access and can audit searches. Chief Adams repeated that state law and other regional oversight mechanisms place limits on sharing, and he said the department will provide a public‑facing transparency portal and follow a written policy requiring documented search reasons. Chief Adams said the department will produce additional written answers to the public’s questions, including who can access data, audit procedures, and how external requests are handled.

Council members said they were split between privacy concerns and expected public‑safety benefits. Some members said the cameras can deter drug‑related activity and help recover stolen vehicles or find endangered people; others, and several public commenters, urged stronger restrictions on sharing and suggested civilian oversight or a policy that prevents Cedar City from granting access to outside agencies without a warrant or formal due process. Chief Adams said the deployment is a trial intended to measure operational value and that the department will report back to council with usage examples and metrics as the pilot progresses.

The department said it would make the new Flock transparency portal available on the city website and provide periodic reports showing numbers of searches and hits during the trial period. Councilmembers asked staff to return with written clarifications on access controls and audit procedures before any decision to extend or expand the program.