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Residents press Greenbelt council for transparency on 24/7 license‑plate reader cameras
Summary
Members of the Greenbelt Resistance Network and other residents asked council for answers about continuous, cloud‑stored license‑plate reader footage (Verkita cameras), who can access data, use by police and federal agencies, and whether warrants are required; staff said prior presentations covered data maps and storage and promised to refer petition questions to the city manager for responses and future agenda consideration.
At the petition and public comment portion of the meeting, Christine Wilin of the Greenbelt Resistance Network asked council to add to a future agenda a set of 11 written questions about the city’s use of 24/7 license‑plate reader (LPR) cameras and the cloud storage of footage. Wilin said the group’s independent review shows modern LPR systems (transcript reference: Verkita cameras) record continuously and upload data to vendor‑operated cloud services, raising questions about who has access, how law enforcement requests are handled, and whether AI can be used to target individuals.
City officials responded that the city has previously presented a detailed briefing on LPR technology—including maps, storage location, and described uses—and that the clerk records petitions and the city manager assigns them to relevant staff for follow‑up. The city manager noted prior presentations are available with recordings and said he and the police chief have discussed adding additional cameras to expand coverage of stolen‑vehicle routes; he promised the petition would be referred to staff and that residents would receive follow‑up information.
Other public speakers, including Laura Rosenthal, reiterated the desire for a detailed, written staff response to each of the petition’s questions and asked which official (city manager, assistant city manager, or Police Chief Bowers) should answer technical queries.
Council members acknowledged the petitions process and said the city would refer the item to the manager and relevant subject‑matter experts; they discussed providing links to prior presentations and posting status updates on the city website. The mayor and staff emphasized that petitions are recorded for the minutes and that referrals are a routine step toward staff research and future agenda placement.
The petitioners requested the council formally place the items on a future agenda so their 11 questions receive written answers and a staff presentation.
Quote: "These cameras are recording 24/7…and we have concerns about who has access to that data," Christine Wilin said during public comment.
Next steps: City staff said they will accept the petition, forward the questions to the city manager who will assign them to appropriate staff, and provide status updates on the city website; council members requested staff link to earlier LPR presentations and make future materials accessible to residents.
