Overview
- Sen. Kevin Payne prefiled SB 1111 to set statewide rules for automated license plate readers, limiting use to criminal investigations or locating missing or endangered people and prohibiting general surveillance and traffic enforcement.
- The bill states that captured plate data is not subject to public review, restricting access to law enforcement or via subpoena, according to the bill text reported by the Arizona Mirror.
- The Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police and the Arizona Police Association support the proposal, which Payne promotes as balancing privacy with public safety.
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Dave Maass criticizes the measure as weak, warning its vague wording could curtail records-based oversight and enable broad government surveillance.
- Recent reporting on ALPR use includes sensitive searches and security lapses involving Flock Safety systems, and Flagstaff ended its Flock contract in December after resident privacy concerns.