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Police chief defends license‑plate reader renewal and announces public accountability portal
Summary
Police Chief Elliott told the commission the ALPR (Flock/Block) system helps in Amber Alerts, homicides and stolen‑vehicle recovery, described auditing and logging practices and said a public Flock accountability portal will display usage information; commissioners asked about scope and toggles for immigration searches.
Chief Elliott described the police division's use of automatic license‑plate readers and outlined safeguards and auditing practices as the commission considered a contract renewal. The chief said the system yields successes in missing‑person and stolen‑vehicle cases and that officers must use the platform only for legitimate law‑enforcement purposes and that every use is logged. "It does not identify drivers, does not gather that that information on who's operating that vehicle, our officers," the chief said, and he added that misuse can lead to internal discipline or criminal charges.
Elliott also said the city and vendor will provide a public accountability portal showing camera usage and data capabilities, and staff emphasized they've revised auditing and policies since residents raised concerns. Commissioners requested clarity on which features are enabled (for example, toggles related to sharing with federal agencies) and the chief said the city has enacted relevant settings and increased auditing.
