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Council weighs 60‑day trial of Flock license‑plate readers as privacy concerns surface
Summary
Staff proposed a 60‑day trial of three Flock automated license‑plate reader cameras to support law enforcement. Weber County officers described use cases and controls; several councilmembers and residents raised privacy, vendor‑access and data‑sharing concerns. No contract was approved; staff will return with more information and an agenda item for the next meeting.
City staff brought a proposal for a 60‑day trial of three Flock automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras to Washington Terrace's March 3 council meeting, saying the pilot would let the city evaluate whether the system provides operational benefit to local law enforcement.
Lieutenant Sean Inslee of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office described how the ALPRs are used to locate stolen vehicles, missing or endangered people, and wanted persons — uses that require case numbers and are subject to audit. Inslee said retention and access rules are governed by state law and agency controls: for local searches a case number is required, only supervisors and detectives currently have search privileges, and Flock’s retained plate data for the agency is shorter than the nine‑month statutory maximum (Inslee said Flock retains about 30 days).
Several councilmembers, and some members of the public, expressed skepticism about the vendor and the privacy implications of storing vehicle data on a private company’s cloud. One councilmember read a prepared summary of national incidents, saying Flock is a large surveillance company with reported instances of misuse, and noted that dozens of other U.S. cities have canceled Flock contracts. “When we sign the contract ... we will hand our residents’ data to a private corporation with no real control over who sees it,” that councilmember said.
Council discussion focused on balancing potential law‑enforcement benefits — Inslee cited cases where ALPR hits helped locate kidnapping suspects and endangered people — against documented abuses elsewhere and the need for strict local controls such as MOUs limiting data sharing and clear audit procedures. Staff said the trial would not automatically create local access for city staff; access and search rights would remain with authorized sheriff's office personnel under any proposed agreement.
Council did not vote on a contract or commit to purchasing cameras; the topic will be brought back at a future meeting when council has had time to review legal provisions, MOUs and budget implications.
