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Resident urges pause on license-plate readers, cites privacy and legal concerns
Summary
During public comment, resident John McDonnell urged the council to pause any license-plate-reader procurement until a vendor, written use policy and retention terms are public; he cited Montana statute (MCA 46-5-117), case law and national examples of misreads and mission creep.
Resident John McDonnell used his public-comment time to demand the council pause funding or procurement for automated license-plate readers until the city publishes a written use policy, names a vendor and clarifies retention and sharing terms.
McDonnell cited Montana law, asking whether a written policy required by "MCA 46-5-117" exists before activation, and he urged the city to disclose the total first-year and ongoing costs and a written comparison between procuring the system and funding a staffed enforcement position. He warned of misreads, mission creep and national lawsuits, and asked the council to require a 24-hour maximum retention for non-violation data, no sharing without a warrant, quarterly public reports and a public vote for any future expansion. The mayor and staff responded that a policy will be in place before any purchase and that procurement cannot proceed until budget authorization; staff also reiterated that any activation steps depend on policy decisions.
