Anaheim Council Approves Purchase of 72 License-plate Readers After Heated Public Comments on Surveillance and Police Transparency

The Anaheim City Council voted to authorize purchase orders not to exceed $736,334.32 for 72 automated license-plate readers (ALPRs), approving the procurement on a 7-0 vote after an extended staff presentation and public comment period.

Police staff told the council the package from Motorola includes equipment, licensing, warranty and cloud services. Chief Manny Sid and Lt. Jimmy Rodriguez said the cameras would be placed on major thoroughfares, at freeway access points and around the resort area to aid investigations into stolen vehicles, wanted persons and critical incidents. “We don’t share our data with any federal entity,” the chief said, adding that the city’s policy and state law prohibit using ALPR data for immigration enforcement.

The council heard dozens of public speakers before the vote. Members of the Arzola family and community organizations pressed the city to release the names of officers involved in the December killing of 19-year-old Albert Arzola and to prioritize accountability measures over surveillance expansion. Buonmato Vicente of CHISPA told the council, “Before any expansion, we should be asking, have there been audits of how this data is used and shared?”

Officials said the proposal includes three funding streams: 11 cameras funded by the Anaheim Police Foundation for the resort district, 20 funded by an organized retail theft grant, and 41 funded through Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) homeland-security grant money. The department said current ALPR retention is typically one year, with longer holds for active cases; access to the system is logged and subject to periodic audits.

Council members spent much of the staff Q&A probing privacy protections. Mayor Pro Tem Leon asked bluntly whether federal agencies such as ICE could access the data; the police replied that they do not share ALPR data with federal entities and would not cooperate in immigration enforcement. The department pointed to contract provisions that make the city the data owner and expose vendors to breach liabilities if they improperly share information.

Opponents urged more safeguards. Speakers and community advocates asked for a public audit of historical ALPR use, clearer public reporting on how the cameras are queried, and written assurances about third-party vendor security. The police said they perform periodic internal audits and that all queries are time-stamped and traceable to the user.

The motion to authorize the purchase carried unanimously. Council members who supported the purchase said the technology helps solve crimes and protect large public venues that draw millions of visitors each year, while acknowledging the community’s concerns. Council members who voiced reservations urged continued oversight and transparency about data practices and vendor security.

The council’s action authorizes the purchasing agent to execute necessary contractual documents under a cooperative agreement. The city indicated additional reporting to council on implementation and use policies will follow.