Like groups of birds, cities around the country seem to be banding together against a hawk-like automated license plate reader system called Flock.<\/p>\n
But among the exceptions in the Valley is Phoenix PD, which uses an automated license plate reader not connected to the controversial Flock Safety company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On July 1, 2022, Phoenix City Council approved a $9 million contract with Motorola Solutions, doing business as Vigilant Solutions, for its Law Enforcement Archival and Reporting Network (LEARN) database.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On June 4, 2025, it also approved a $2.4 million contract, good through June 18, 2029, for the National Vehicle Location Service database, which \u201callows license plate data and images to be aggregated and analyzed for law enforcement,\u201d according to city documents.<\/p>\n
A report to Council in June of last year also sates, \u201cLEARN provides agencies with a way to manage vehicle hotlists, query historical license plate reader data and use advanced analytics for enhanced investigations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLEARN is a hosted solution that allows data sharing and interoperability with other law enforcement agencies nationwide. Together, NVLS-LEARN subscriptions services help the department reduce auto thefts and related crime involving vehicles, increases auto theft vehicle recovery rates and increases investigative leads to reduce auto thefts and vehicles used in gateway crimes (i.e robbery, burglary of residence).\u201d<\/p>\n
According to city documents, \u201cThe LEARN database is an online analytic platform that allows license plate data and images to be aggregated and analyzed and provides law enforcement agencies with the ability to manage hotlists, query historical license plate reader data, and use sophisticated analytics for advanced investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cLEARN is a hosted solution that allows data sharing and interoperability with other law enforcement agencies nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n
The controversy over Flock cameras reached a frenzied pitch over the last two weeks. First, Chandler canceled its Flock contract after a troubling audit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It announced last week an officer resigned after he was confronted about misusing the system. He said he had been tracking the movements of an elderly relative.<\/p>\n
Surprise, Goodyear and Apache Junction also announced their police officers are under investigation for allegedly misusing Flock data. In Apache Junction, an officer resigned after admitting to having used Flock to track his wife\u2019s movements.<\/p>\n
The cases in neighboring jurisdictions, topped by multiple reports of license plate reader abuse around the country, fuel the raging debate in Tempe \u2013 which has had a tortuous relationship with Flock.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 10, Tempe announced it was slamming the brakes on \u201call data sharing\u201d from its 33 Flock cameras. According to a city press release, \u201cThis was in response to privacy concerns expressed by the community and the recent misuse of the system by two local law enforcement agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The release, apparently alluding to Chandler and Apache Junction, came just before Goodyear and Surprise joined the sheepish crowd of potential police Flock abuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we had previously restricted data sharing to Arizona law enforcement agencies only, this additional step will further safeguard Tempe\u2019s data and ensure we maintain appropriate control over access,\u201d said Tempe Police Chief Ken McCoy.<\/p>\n
That probably sounds good to new Tempe City Councilman Bobby Nichols, who was elected May 19 and took office July 1.<\/p>\n
Long before he was sworn in, Nichols, an assistant state attorney general, hammered away at Tempe\u2019s Flock contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke at the last Tempe City Council meeting to demand, again, that Tempe terminate its contract with the unsafe surveillance company known as Flock Safety,\u201d Nichols posted in January.<\/p>\n
One of his key campaign points, according to the \u201cBobby for Tempe\u201d website:<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping Tempe residents safe from ICE, including by ending the city\u2019s current contract with Flock, a company that conducts invasive ICE surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nichols did not respond to a request for comment on Tempe\u2019s Flock announcement last week.<\/p>\n
Four months ago, Tempe City Council \u2013 without more than vague references to its long-running contract with Flock \u2013 approved a 60-day trial of Axon\u2019s ALPRs.<\/p>\n
Axon is providing the cameras at no cost to the city.<\/p>\n
At the March 26 meeting, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods enthusiastically promoted the Axon program.<\/p>\n
He sounded like a vigorous proponent of ALPRs.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom my perspective, our residents, our business owners, and officers have the absolute right to both feel safe and be safe. And I do think that automated license plate readers can be a tool to, frankly, help that happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLicense plate readers are designed to alert officers when a vehicle associated with an Amber Alert is nearby. \u2026 these license plate readers don\u2019t use any kind of facial recognition whatsoever. They simply read license plates, so the license plate reader doesn\u2019t care who\u2019s driving the car, their race, their financial status, or their nationality,\u201d the mayor said, adding:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe license plate reader simply just checks to see if the car was reported stolen, or perhaps connected to a crime, or even a missing person, like in the case of an Amber Alert.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without mentioning the controversy that led to Tempe tapping out of Flock, Woods enthused: \u201cThis really has helped our officers return stolen cars to residents, and also see if \u2026 these cars have been involved in serious crimes.”<\/p>\n
Woods then seemed to grudgingly tip his cap to ALPR critics:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, we do listen to people in the city of Tempe, across Arizona, and across the nation, and we understand that there is definitely concern about data sharing with groups like ICE as well as HSI. And I can \u2026 definitively say the city of Tempe has not done that and will not do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without discussing the difference between Flock and Axon\u2019s Outpost system, Woods continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain committed to being a welcoming community where all of our (residents), regardless of who you are, can feel safe. That\u2019s why we are piloting this trial with Axon at no cost to the city of Tempe taxpayer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAxon is a local company, just up the road in Scottsdale, so better sometimes to use a company that actually is right up the street than perhaps one that\u2019s across the country where you can\u2019t get to their headquarters.”<\/p>\n
He stressed there was no long-term commitment, with the Axon 60-day deal being a chance \u201cto see if this technology would actually work well for us and would work well for the men and women of the Tempe Police Department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woods received unanimous agreement on March 26.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At a Chandler City Council meeting three months ago, people protested the city\u2019s use of Flock Safety cameras and demanded that the city discontinue their use. <\/p>\n
(Ken Sain\/Staff)<\/p>\n
Flock in Scottsdale<\/strong><\/p>\n Tempe\u2019s northern neighbor is also taking a hard look at its Flock contract.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on resident input and my own concerns regarding Flock,\u201d Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky said, \u201cI have requested a presentation and discussion to be agendized in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently reelected Councilwoman Solange Whitehead was more adamant about the license-plate readers.<\/p>\n \u201cMy top priority is to end Scottsdale\u2019s contract with Flock,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, homegrown Scottsdale police tech mega player Axon is rolling out a direct Flock competitor called Outpost \u2013 which Tempe is testing.<\/p>\n Automated license plate readers \u2013 also known as ALPRs, or just LPRs \u2013 are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of passing vehicles, storing details like your car\u2019s location, date, and time.<\/p>\n Tempe\u2019s 33 Flock cameras are not\u00a0 those that catch red-light runners and represent a fraction of the many cameras that tie schools and other places into its Real Time Operations Center.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re out for a drive, 85 Flock cameras might track you through Scottsdale. Cruising along Scottsdale Road as it turns into Rural Road, some of the 33 Flock cameras would follow your Tempe journey.<\/p>\n Once you hit the northern border of Chandler, Flock cameras will still be visible \u2013 but are turned off.<\/p>\n