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Cedar City Council renews Flock Safety plate-reader contract with added auditing and 30-day termination clause
Summary
After extended debate about privacy and public safety, Cedar City Council approved a two-year renewal of a contract with Flock Safety at $157,500 per year, adding quarterly audit reporting, public-transparency provisions and a 30-day termination clause for material breaches.
Cedar City Council voted to renew its contract with Flock Safety for automated license-plate reader services, approving a two-year renewal at $157,500 per year while requiring the city and police to develop explicit auditing, transparency and misuse-penalty language.
Police Chief Darren Adams summarized the technology's role in criminal investigations and recommended renewal. "Based on the measurable results we have seen over the past year, the lives positively impacted, the scribe solved, and the justice provided to victims, I believe the evidence clearly demonstrates that Flock Safety has been a valuable investment for Cedar City," Adams said. He also read the contract's breach provision into the record, saying, in part, that "in the event of any material breach of this agreement, the non-breaching party may terminate this agreement prior to the end of the term by giving 30 days prior written notice."
Council debate ran more than an hour. Supporters cited cases the department attributed to the system and urged measured oversight. One council member said discussions with neighbors and staff convinced them the "known good" of solved cases outweighed potential risks for now. Skeptical council members and members of the public urged strict guardrails around access, retention and third-party sharing of data. The approved motion requires staff to return with specific audit-report language and makes clear any expansion of the system beyond current terms must come back to council for approval.
The renewal passed by roll call; the council incorporated language directing quarterly reporting on audits and searches and preserved the council's ability to terminate the contract for material breach with 30 days' written notice.
What this means: the system will remain in use under the current contract terms while the council and police finalize written procedures for transparency and audit reporting. The council emphasized that any operational changes or expansion of access would require council approval.
