1. ALPRs Are a Bad Investment with Little Return

This technology doesn’t prevent crime. We don’t even know if it helps solve crime:

• An audit report from Austin, TX cites a number of serious and minor crimes that have been solved with the help of ALPRs, but we do not know that these same incidents would not have been solved without ALPR data.
• In San Diego, case clearances for car thefts remained extremely low even after the use of ALPRs.
• Meanwhile, the subscription model AI surveillance system costs cities hundreds of thousands of dollars annually—money that could go to mental health response, community programs, or actual crime prevention. Let’s invest in the things our community cares about—like CAHOOTS and the Public Library.

We know what works to keep our community safe and it’s not total population surveillance.

2. ALPR Data Has Been Misused and Shared Without Oversight

Once data is collected, it can be stored for years and shared with hundreds of agencies—and sometimes even private companies. EPD and SPD will tell you that they have control over the data and that it is deleted after 30 days. But the data can easily be saved indefinitely. If ICE asks for ALPR data, will Flock Safety share it with them? Will the federal government compel compliance from EPD/SPD? This could put immigrant communities at serious risk.

• A 2020 investigation revealed that ICE accessed ALPR data from cities that had declared themselves sanctuary jurisdictions, undermining local policies.
• Many cities are not extending their ALPR contract due to concerns about ICE using the data to locate immigrants for deportation. Read about it.
• Data leaks or data hacks is impossible to fully prevent – the only safe data is data that is never collected. Already there have been breaches and mishandling of ALPR data. In just one example, Customs and Border Protection had its ALPR vendor hacked and the data published online.

3. False Matches Lead to Dangerous Mistakes

ALPRs aren’t foolproof. They make errors—estimates are they make errors in around 10% of all cases. Moreover, there can still be human error involved. In a high-stakes policing environment, mistakes put lives at risk. Stories abound about ALPRs leading to people of color being confronted with police with guns drawn.

• Ex: In Aurora, Colorado, a Black family—including young children—was forced to lay on the pavement and held at gunpoint after an ALPR flagged their car as stolen. It was a mistake, and the city was required to pay the family 1.9 million in damages. Read the article from BBC.
• False matches disproportionately affect communities of color, where policing is already more aggressive. Read about it.

4. ALPRs Violate the Right to Privacy

ALPRs track and store the movements of every vehicle they scan—without a warrant, without suspicion, and without consent. This is mass surveillance, not targeted policing.

• The ACLU has released documents showing that location records are being kept on tens of millions of innocent Americans in 38 states and Washington, DC. The ACLU won a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of California giving the public access to ALPR records that the police were trying to keep secret, and in Los Angeles, they discovered that over 99% of scanned plates belonged to people not suspected of any crime.
• ALPRs collect millions of data points on innocent residents and visitors, creating detailed maps of where we live, worship, and work without a warrant or any active investigation.
• In Virginia, a District Court is currently hearing a case that ALPR use in Norfolk violates the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable government searches. The Supreme Court has protected the people against mass surveillance schemes, even when they take place in public. Read here.

5. ALPRs Chills Free Speech and Civic Engagement

When people know they’re being watched, they change their behavior. That’s not safety—it’s suppression. With current attacks on free speech by the Trump administration and threats to people speaking out against their policies, the risk of innocent people being targeted through misuse of this surveillance information is too great.

• Studies have shown surveillance tools deter attendance at political protests, religious events, and community organizing.
• In this political climate, that’s dangerous. People shouldn’t have to choose between their rights and their safety.
• This technology captures more than just your license plate—it even makes note of your bumper stickers. Police can then make a full system search of all cars with certain characteristics.
• Losing public trust outweighs any possible benefits the technology would offer. 

6. Local Communities Have the Power to Say No

We don’t have to wait for the state or federal government to act or the Supreme Court to rule. Our city has the authority—and the responsibility—to protect residents’ civil rights.

• Cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley, California have already restricted or banned ALPR use due to civil rights concerns.
• Others, like Austin and Denver have chosen not to extend or expand contracts after using Flock’s ALPR system.
• Let’s be proactive, not reactive, in defending the rights of our neighbors.

Surveillance doesn’t equal safety. It creates a culture of suspicion, not trust. Let’s invest in real community-based solutions—not tools that watch everyone, all the time. Say no to ALPRs!