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Council approves Clearview AI contract renewal after police assurances on data handling
Summary
Following public opposition, council voted to renew the Clearview AI contract; police officials told council the system uses only open-source images, that the department does not upload its own images to the vendor, and retention policies limit use, addressing privacy concerns raised by residents.
Council approved renewal of the police department’s Clearview AI subscription after public speakers warned against extending a biometric‑matching contract and police officials explained local controls. Jason Bridal told the council he opposed the renewal: "I think it is a dangerous move to allow a private company to amass the scale of information that they have," citing a national lawsuit and concerns that biometric images cannot be changed.
In response, police leadership and the chief said the department’s platform uses open‑source images gathered from social media and similar sources rather than closed sources such as DMV or DPS. The department said it has chosen not to upload its own images to the vendor and described internal retention policies: license‑plate reader images have a 30‑day retention and the current platform has no retention beyond auditing fields where required. After council questions about liability and technical change over time, the motion to renew the contract passed on a voice vote.
