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Tempe council approves trial of Axon automated license-plate readers amid debate on privacy and public safety
Summary
The council voted 7–0 to approve a no-cost pilot of Axon’s Outpost ALPR system after public commenters urged both termination of a previous vendor contract and strong oversight for any automated license-plate reader use.
Tempe’s City Council approved a trial program to test Axon’s Outpost automated license-plate recognition (ALPR) system after a public debate about privacy and policing.
The council voted unanimously to authorize a two-step pilot for Axon’s Outpost as a consent-item pull (item 7B6), with a motion to approve made by Council Member Hajj and seconded by Council Member Adams. Mayor Corey Woods and police supporters described the technology as a tool to locate stolen vehicles, link crimes across jurisdictions, and help officers make more informed decisions in the field. "These license plate readers don't use any kind of facial recognition whatsoever," Woods said, adding they only read license plates to check whether a vehicle is reported stolen or connected to a crime.
Opponents cited concerns about data access and law-enforcement information sharing. "It was well established that Flock allows the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to access their locally owned networks without local approval, often without local consent," said Bobby Nichols, who has campaigned to terminate Tempe’s Flock Safety contract. Nichols described ALPR networks as susceptible to abuse and urged the city to avoid repeating past problems.
Sergeant Rob Ferraro, president of the Tempe Officers Association, urged the council not to remove ALPRs entirely, saying the technology materially helps investigations and officer safety. "From our experience on the street, the answer is yes," Ferraro said. He recommended strong policy, transparency and oversight rather than a ban.
City staff and the mayor noted the pilot was structured to test Axon’s capabilities at no cost to Tempe taxpayers and emphasized local oversight during evaluation. Council members said a short, evidence-focused pilot would allow staff to collect operational results and privacy compliance data before any long-term decision.
The pilot’s approval does not itself create a permanent contract. Staff will monitor the pilot, report results back to council, and return with recommendations. The council’s 7–0 vote cleared the trial to proceed.
What happens next: Staff will deploy the pilot devices, evaluate technical performance, and report back to council with findings and any recommended policy or contractual safeguards.
