Tempe City Council votes to ban license plate readers

Well, a big change to police surveillance in the East Valley. Tempe's city council votes to ban those automated license plate reader cams, making it the first city in the state to take that step. And it won't be easy if they want to reverse it. Danielle Miller has more with lead up to the decision, what it means for the community. Good morning, Danielle. Good morning. And the city council voting six to one to approve this ban. All of this comes after there was concerns about how these cameras are used also who has access to the information that is collected from these cameras the cameras automatically they scan license plates and help police search for vehicle data law enforcement has used them to track down stolen cars and identify suspects but reports of other police agencies misusing the technology raised privacy concerns here in Tempe the city had already shut down its own camera network in August now this new ordinance makes that decision official blocking city departments from using or funding that technology the measure passed despite opposition from the police chief and local police union and drew passionate public comment from residents at the meeting flock and other automatic license plate readers ALPRs have been taking over neighborhoods tracking our movements and building an elaborate database about where, with who, and what we do. The reality is these camera systems do not prevent crime, have not sufficiently proven to reduce crime, are an infringement of the Fourth Amendment, create massive data sharing and privacy concerns, have been misused, and are flawed in their accuracy. The ordinance also includes penalties for city employees who violate the ban, including possible termination. This ban officially goes into effect in 30 days. Also to note it can only be repealed by another council vote. We'll send it back to you guys.