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Residents press Dayton officials to release ALPR audit logs and reconsider surveillance tools
Summary
During public comment, residents urged the Dayton City Commission to release audit logs tied to automated license plate readers and to investigate alleged data-sharing with outside entities; the mayor said proposals to identify a reviewing firm are under consideration.
Multiple residents at the Dayton City Commission meeting urged elected officials to release audit logs and investigate the city's use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), saying the community has a right to know whether camera data were shared improperly.
Mary Sue Giner told the commission the law department is "holding up" public records requests for audit logs and urged the city manager and law department to stop objecting and produce the records. She asked who knew about purported data sharing and when, and called for canceling the ALPR contract and removing cameras: "You must cancel the contract, remove the cameras, and renounce surveillance technology," she said.
Public commenters and speakers also pressed the commission for an investigation into who was notified about any data breach and whether department leadership learned about problems promptly. Joseph Abrams noted contract language concerns and said the city may lack an easy termination clause; he asked whether law department staff had raised objections earlier.
Commissioner Fairchild asked staff for an update on releasing audit logs and requested a production schedule so citizens know when records will be available. The mayor acknowledged the need for an investigation and said the city is reviewing proposals to identify a firm to review all logs and determine an order of release.
Separately, commenters raised broader public-safety concerns: several speakers linked violence in West Dayton to long-term disinvestment, questioned police deployment and the allocation of new officers, and urged sustained funding for the violence-interruption pilot. Commissioner Beckham said elected officials support maintaining funding for the one-year pilot.
Next steps: the mayor and staff said they are reviewing proposals to contract an outside firm to examine ALPR audit logs and will provide a schedule for release; commissioners asked law to prepare a production plan for public records requests.
