Resident urges transparency on license‑plate‑reader use and data access
Summary
A resident complained about automatic license‑plate reader cameras and urged the county to ensure public access and transparency about any collected data; the board clarified that stationary Flock installs were city contracts and county ALPR use is limited to patrol‑mounted units operated by the sheriff's office.
During general public comment, resident Mike Alford raised constitutional and privacy objections to automatic license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras and asked county officials to ensure public access to any data collected.
Alford argued the technology logs vehicle movements with time stamps and can be linked to drivers by some vendors, calling that collection incompatible with privacy protections. “These cameras do not passively record. They actively log citizens' whereabouts using license plates, vehicle footprints, and time stamps,” Alford said. He urged the county to consider whether such data should be searchable by any citizen if it is public record.
Commissioners responded that the installations Alford cited were a Saint Mary's city contract, not a county contract, and that the county does not operate a stationary ALPR network. They noted the sheriff's office uses patrol‑mounted ALPR technology operated in connection with deputies on patrol and that any broader deployment would require separate authorization.
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