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Douglas council hears privacy concerns, orders review of Flock Safety ALPR agreement
Summary
The Douglas Police Department outlined its Flock Safety automated license-plate reader (ALPR) program and grant funding; council heard privacy and contractual concerns and directed staff to explore termination options while preserving roughly $100,916 in remaining grant funds.
Police Chief Kraig Fullen told the Mayor and Council on March 11 that the Douglas Police Department implemented an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system in mid‑2024 after receiving a $194,178 Border Security Fund grant through the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.
Chief Fullen said the department “retains full authority to grant, deny, or limit access to the system,” and described operational safeguards: access limited to trained law‑enforcement personnel, audit logs for all activity, automatic deletion of license‑plate data after 30 days and permanent retention of audit logs. He told the council the system had generated about 10 stolen‑vehicle alerts that led to five recoveries and several arrests.
A virtual representative from vendor Flock Safety, Lily Ho, described technical protections such as encryption and storage in AWS GovCloud. City staff summarized pros including real‑time alerts for stolen vehicles and vehicle‑fingerprint search capability, and cons including public concerns about AI usage, leased hardware and legal review of termination rights.
During council discussion residents and councilors questioned contract terms, data access definitions and long‑term control. Mayor Jose Grijalva directed staff to explore options to terminate or renegotiate the Flock Safety agreement “while preserving available grant funding,” and return with legal and budget implications for further council consideration.
The presentation noted approximately $100,916 in remaining grant funds that could be forfeited if the agreement were terminated; staff said an alternative system might incur additional cost and could raise similar privacy questions. The council did not vote on a contract change at the March 11 meeting.
What’s next: staff will report back with legal analysis of termination/renegotiation options and any financial consequences; the council will take further action after that report.
