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Council approves UArizona evaluation of state border grant after data‑use clarifications
Summary
The council approved a subaward to the University of Arizona to perform an independent evaluation of a state DPS border‑support grant (automatic license‑plate reader and limited drone pilot). Staff said the evaluator will receive aggregated, non‑personally‑identifiable geolocated incident data and emphasized TPD policy prohibiting ALPR use for immigration enforcement.
The Mayor and Council on June 23 approved a subaward to the University of Arizona to conduct an independent evaluation of a state local border support grant that funds automatic license‑plate readers (ALPRs) and a small drone pilot component.
Dr. Eric Kerner (City data analysis) and TPD staff said the independent study would receive aggregated geolocated incident data—calls for service, police incidents and arrests tied to deployment areas—and would not receive personally‑identifiable information, HIPAA data, or raw license‑plate hits that could identify individuals. "We are not providing personally identifiable information to the university," staff said.
Council members pressed staff on three points: exactly what data will be shared, what constraints exist to prevent immigration‑related uses, and what happens to the grant if the UArizona subaward is not approved. Staff responded that TPD policy prohibits ALPR use for immigration enforcement and that the UArizona evaluation was intended to provide an impartial assessment on crime impacts. They also warned that rejecting the subaward could require a grant adjustment or risk compliance issues with the state pass‑through and federal grant terms.
The grant application submitted by TPD prioritized reducing trafficking and violent crime along I‑10 and I‑19 corridors; the state‑administered program has shifted since its FY25 appropriation, agency staff said. The subaward includes $130,000 for a drone pilot (software, training and hardware) that, to date, remains unspent pending local program design and council direction.
Council members who voted for the subaward said external, independent evaluation would provide transparency and an extra layer of reassurance to residents; others asked for continuing public updates and strict controls on data sharing before deployment and operations begin.
