Residents press board to halt mobile ALPR/surveillance plans after consent‑calendar items pulled

During the call to the public, several residents and privacy experts urged the board not to approve mobile surveillance and automated license-plate reader (ALPR) systems without full public review and written policy safeguards. Michelle Sullivan said residents learned about the contract at 4 p.m. the previous day and asked for more notice; Sharon Fried asked specific questions about data retention, access controls, audits and vendor access to county data.

"A mobile surveillance system capable of automated license plate recognition, 360 degree video, hot list alerts, and analytics should not be approved as routine business without separate public discussion," Sharon Fried told the board. Fried asked: "How long will plate records, images, and videos be retained? Who can search the data? Can information be shared with other agencies?" Several commenters — including Susie Garvey and Jerry Pittman — warned of mission creep, privacy harms and potential lawsuits, and urged the board to adopt policies before any deployment. Isabel Rongo, a Clarkdale resident and systems engineer, praised the board's decision to deny item 20 and urged continued vigilance: "Today, you made the right call, and I'm hoping that you forward and continue to do so on these issues."

Earlier in the meeting the board had moved to deny consent items 20 and 22 on the record. Commenters sought transparent accounting of total costs, installation and ongoing licensing fees, data storage practices, audit and oversight procedures, and whether vendors or outside agencies would have access to raw data. Several urged a public hearing and formal policy before any surveillance system is purchased or enabled.