Latest news with #ALPRs
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Austin city manager removes item on automatic license plate readers from council agenda
The Brief Item regarding automated license plate reader program removed from Austin City Council agenda City manager cites concerns expressed by residents during Tuesday's work session Testimony focused on city's vendor Flock, which works with ICE and uses AI AUSTIN, Texas - Austin's city manager has removed an item concerning the city's automated license plate reader (ALPR) program from Thursday's city council agenda. What we know T.C. Broadnax said in a statement Tuesday night that staff will be withdrawing Item 67, a proposed extension of the city's ALPR program, from Thursday's agenda. Broadnax cites concerns expressed by Austin residents during the council's work session on Tuesday as a reason behind his decision. What they're saying "Given concerns expressed today, I have decided to withdraw this item from the agenda at this time to provide more opportunities to address council members' questions and do our due diligence to alleviate concerns prior to bringing this item back to City Council for consideration," Broadnax said in his message to the Mayor and Council. Local perspective A press release from the office of council member Mike Siegel says that dozens of residents showed up to the work session to testify about the program. "The speakers overwhelmingly testified against the use of ALPRs, citing concerns about personal privacy, threats to immigrant families, threats to political dissidents, and more. Much of the testimony focused on the City's ALPR vendor, Flock, which works closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to develop profiles of vehicles based on camera footage and other sources," said the release. What's next Broadnax's decision essentially means Austin's ALPR program will end on June 30. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4 at 11:30 a.m. where immigration, reproductive rights and data privacy advocates will be joining Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, Council member Zo Qadri and Siegel. They are expected to speak against the use of ALPRs and mass surveillance tools in Austin. The Source Information in this report comes from a release from Austin City Council member Mike Siegel's office.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Around 20% of license plate reader database searches did not have case numbers
AUSTIN (KXAN) – According to an email from APD sent to city of Austin staff, as many as 22% of automated license plate reader (ALPR) database searches did not have a case number linked to the query. Ahead of Tuesday's Austin City Council work session, where ALPRs would be discussed, city staff asked APD via email for more information about the technology. That email was shared with KXAN. Many have been critical of the technology, concerned that data could be shared with law enforcement agencies that target women seeking abortions or undocumented immigrants. APD said on Tuesday that the department does not intend to use ALPRs for those reasons. 'The Austin Police Department recognizes the importance of transparency in the usage of the ALPR system. With this in mind, the Austin Police Department is working with the vendor to mandate that the user input a case number prior to [a] search as well as a reason for the search that is in line with the resolution,' APD wrote in the email to city staff. APD said that when the ALPR pilot program went live in March 2024, the resolution did not explicitly require officers to provide a reason for a database search. However, it acknowledged that the department was only permitted to use the technology to help with investigations. APD told city staff that in the second quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, around one in five searches did not have a case number listed. In quarter three of 2024, only 11% of searches did not have an identified case number, and in quarter four, 16% did not have one. Austin's year-long pilot program began in March 2024, and on March 27, the Austin City Council voted 8-3 to extend the program for another three months. The city council will decide on Thursday whether to extend the program again. During the work session, APD explained to the Austin City Council why it finds the technology beneficial. 'This police department is 300 officers short. Currently, we do not have enough officers to [perform] the job that we would prefer to do without the use of technology to supplement [our] work,' said Assistant Austin Police Chief Sheldon Askew. 'We're just better [and] more successful when we have technology such as ALPR,' he continued. The pilot required that the system only hold data captured by the cameras for seven days, down from 30 days. APD officers must train before being able to access the system. Officers must undergo training annually. APD said on Tuesday that data collected by the cameras belongs only to the department and that it is not shared with any other agency. 'There are some agencies throughout the country [that] will share that data with their partner agencies or with agencies across the nation. We do not do that,' Askew said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Safety leaders question privacy of Austin license plate reader data
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Auditors this week called for the city to update the terms of its Automated License Plate Reader program to clarify how long data is stored and limit who can access it. The discussion took place just days before the Austin City Council is to consider the program's future. At Tuesday's Public Safety Commission meeting, members heard the results of an audit assessing the Austin Police Department's APLR pilot program from March 2024 to March 2025. Central Texas continues to grapple with use of license plate readers The audit said the city's 40 fixed cameras and the 500 cameras attached to Austin Police vehicles made an estimated 75 million scans of license plates. The city's vendors for ALPRs are Flock Safety and Axon. Recommendations from the audit said the language in the city's contract with Flock is too vague and 'possibly expansive.' Safety commissioners questioned how long vendors store that data. The original terms outlined that Austin's program would store the data for seven days, but the audit determined vendors can retain that data. Access to that data has come into question in recent months as immigration and deportation efforts have escalated under the Trump administration. Critics of ALPRs have accused local law enforcement agencies of sharing data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. APD Sergeant Lee Knouse responded to commissioners' questions about ICE's access to APD's data. He said data collected by ALPRs is only accessible to APD. 'When a network administrator looks into Flock, we can see who has searched our cameras, what they're searching for, when they search for it, if an ICE agent or an outside agent was accessing our cameras. We do not provide access to APD data to anyone outside of APD personnel who's been through our training,' Knouse said. The audit presentation will be made again to Austin City Council members at their workshop on Wednesday. The city council is expected to vote on the program's future at its regular Thursday meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
05-05-2025
- Axios
Denver's license plate surveillance system faces critical vote
A proposal expanding the contract duration for Denver police's license plate reader system is raising concerns about the surveillance tool's potential misuse. Why it matters: In other jurisdictions, similar systems that provide law enforcement with real-time data have already been exploited by federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. By the numbers: Denver police want to add $666,000 to an existing contract with Flock Group Inc. that would expand its services two more years to continue operating the 111 cameras already installed at 70 locations citywide. This would bring the contract's total to just over $1 million. State of play: Denver police commander Jacob Herrera last month said any agency requesting department data must "sign and attest" they won't give information to ICE. However, the ACLU, which opposes using such tech to share data, says a records request completed in Northern California this year from a similar ALPR system operated by a different company showed ICE gained access to a database to monitor more than 5 billion data points. What they're saying: ACLU Colorado senior policy strategist Anaya Robinson tells us the public's right to privacy should be considered: "The community should have a say in whether or not they are willing to give that up." Context: The devices, called automated license plate readers (ALPR), photograph car plates and feed them into a searchable database owned by DPD. DPD credited the tech with helping reduce car thefts after a spike in 2022, and it says ALPRs helped investigations of more serious crimes, including two homicide cases. 81 law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado have access to data gathered by DPD. How it works: The cameras photograph license plates, then compare them to those of cars flagged by other agencies in the state and across the country, Herrera said last month. The devices can alert police in real time to the location of stolen vehicles, Herrera said. Data is retained for 30 days, but search records — basically, who conducts a query — are kept indefinitely. It's up to individual agencies to decide who can access their data, Flock spokesperson Holly Beilin tells us. Yes, but: Denver City Councilmember Sarah Parady tells us she has concerns about the proposed contract, saying: "I can't vote for this." Her top concerns include: Between the lines: Mayor Mike Johnston supports the expanded contract, with a spokesperson saying it will "help address auto theft without sacrificing our shared values and residents' privacy," per a statement.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
"Flock" cameras lead to arrest of road rage suspect in San Bernardino
A 24-year-old woman from San Bernardino County is in custody, accused of attempted murder during a road rage incident after investigators used automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to track her vehicle, officials with the California Highway Patrol announced. KTLA's Shelby Nelson reports on March 25, 2025. Details:
