Resident urges Perry City to pause ALPR installations pending local ordinance

Janie Pennington, a Perry resident, urged the council to pause any physical installation of automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras tied to a June 30 28E agreement until the city adopts a local ordinance that complies with recent changes in Iowa law. "These cameras cannot legally be turned on until the council adopts the formal local ordinance that sets clear rules," Pennington said during the open forum.

Pennington told the council she supports the system’s use to locate stolen vehicles but warned it creates a continuous record of residents’ movements without individualized suspicion. She asked the council for a public hearing, a publicly available map of proposed camera locations and strict enforcement of Iowa’s 30-day data-deletion requirement and audit trails for officer access. "It’s not free if it costs per residents our constitutional privacy," she said, arguing the city owes residents clarity about data handling and vendor liability.

Council members asked clarifying questions about ongoing litigation and the relevant statutes; Pennington said her packet summarized research on Motorola Solutions litigation and state law but suggested the material is publicly researchable. The council did not take immediate action on the request during the meeting; the matter was raised during the public comment period for the council’s consideration.