Latest news with #AutomatedLicensePlateReader
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
License plate reader vote postponed amid community, council concerns
AUSTIN (KXAN) — According to an email sent to Austin city council members and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, City Manager TC Broadnax will postpone a vote on whether or not Austin police can continue to use license plate readers. The city manager wrote: 'While I appreciate the Austin Police Department's thorough presentation at today's work session regarding the Automated License Plate Reader technology and have confidence that APD can continue to use this tool in a responsible way focused on keeping Austinites safe, I am also sensitive to community concerns and outstanding questions from members of the City Council. 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.' It's unclear when license plate reader technology may come back to the city council for a vote. KXAN has reached out to APD for a response. During Tuesday's work session, APD explained to the dais 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. 'Today we heard powerful testimony from residents, nonprofit leaders, privacy experts, and many others,' said Council Member Mike Siegel in a release. 'We are in an unprecedented time of authoritarian rule at the state and federal levels, and we should not be using City of Austin resources to fund a mass surveillance tool that can be used by private companies, immigration authorities, and other outside entities. I look forward to working with my colleagues on Council to support public safety strategies do not create such a risk of injury to our diverse communities.' You can read more about the contents of that work session and the discussion had here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 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.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Multi-agency investigation leads to arrest of Rio Vista arson suspect
( — The office of the State Fire Marshal's Arson and Bomb Unit led a multi-agency investigation that resulted in an arson arrest. On May 15, Cal Fire announced that a joint investigation led by the Office of the State Fire Marshal's Arson and Bomb Unit resulted in the arrest of Kenneth Allen Hubbs, who had a connection to a March 21 residential arson incident that caused an estimated $700,000 in damages. According to officials, on March 21 at around 1:34 a.m., security camera footage captured an unidentified man using a hammer to break a rear sliding-glass door to enter a home on Sherman Island East Levee Road in Rio Vista. Once Hubbs was inside the home, he ignited road flares and set fires in at least three separate locations before fleeing through the same door he came in at around 1:36 a.m., California Statewide Law Enforcement Association said. Evacuation order issued for some residents due to Inn Fire in Mono County The Cal Fire OSFM Arson and Bomb Unit was requested to take the lead in this investigation, stated CSLEA. After a thorough investigation, detectives identified Hubbs as the primary suspect, and a Sacramento County no-bail arrest warrant was issued on May 5. On May 14, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Deputies found Hubbs after receiving an Automated License Plate Reader alert broadcast by the Arson and Bomb Unit, according to CSLEA. Hubbs was taken into custody without incident and booked on the following charges: Arson of an inhabited structure Possession of an incendiary device Burglary 'Outstanding work by all involved in the investigation and arrest of this arson suspect,' said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona. 'In less than two month's-time an unidentified suspect, breaking into and setting fire to a house in the middle of a night, was identified and arrested! Great job.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man found dead after vehicle crashes into slough west of Lodi
May 16—STOCKTON — A 60-year-old man was found dead after his vehicle crashed into a slough on Wednesday night west of Lodi. Woodbridge Fire District crews responded to reports of a vehicle driven into the water at Eight Mile Road and Empire Tract Road at the ferry at 11 p.m. Upon arrival, crews found the vehicle fully submerged and rescue efforts were turned over to the San Joaquin County Office's Dive Team for recovery operations. The driver of the vehicle was later found deceased in the water, according the California Highway Patrol. No other information was available. Man arrested on arson charges related to Rio Vista incident RIO VISTA — CalFire's Arson and Bomb Unit and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office arrested 47-year-old Kenneth Allen Hubbs on Wednesday in connection with an arson that caused about $700,000 in damage in Rio Vista in March. According to reports, security camera footage captured a man using a hammer to break a rear sliding-glass door and enter a home on Sherman Island East Levee Road at about 1:34 p.m. on March 21. Once inside, the man, later identified as Hubbs, ignited road flares and set fires in at least three separate locations before fleeing through the same door at roughly 1:36 a.m. Sheriff's Office deputies located Hubbs on Wednesday after receiving an Automated License Plate Reader alert broadcast by the Arson and Bomb Unit. Hubbs was taken into custody without incident and booked on suspicion of arson of an inhabited structure, possession of an incendiary device and burglary.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man found dead after vehicle crashes into slough west of Lodi
May 16—STOCKTON — A 60-year-old man was found dead after his vehicle crashed into a slough on Wednesday night west of Lodi. Woodbridge Fire District crews responded to reports of a vehicle driven into the water at Eight Mile Road and Empire Tract Road at the ferry at 11 p.m. Upon arrival, crews found the vehicle fully submerged and rescue efforts were turned over to the San Joaquin County Office's Dive Team for recovery operations. The driver of the vehicle was later found deceased in the water, according the California Highway Patrol. No other information was available. Man arrested on arson charges related to Rio Vista incident RIO VISTA — CalFire's Arson and Bomb Unit and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office arrested 47-year-old Kenneth Allen Hubbs on Wednesday in connection with an arson that caused about $700,000 in damage in Rio Vista in March. According to reports, security camera footage captured a man using a hammer to break a rear sliding-glass door and enter a home on Sherman Island East Levee Road at about 1:34 p.m. on March 21. Once inside, the man, later identified as Hubbs, ignited road flares and set fires in at least three separate locations before fleeing through the same door at roughly 1:36 a.m. Sheriff's Office deputies located Hubbs on Wednesday after receiving an Automated License Plate Reader alert broadcast by the Arson and Bomb Unit. Hubbs was taken into custody without incident and booked on suspicion of arson of an inhabited structure, possession of an incendiary device and burglary.
