SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Santa Barbara City Council voted Tuesday night to delay a proposed contract for automatic license plate reader cameras, giving the city more time to examine how the technology should be used and how the information it collects should be handled.
The 5-2 vote means Santa Barbara will not move forward with a new ALPR system for now.
The decision followed a lengthy and at times heated discussion about the balance between public safety and privacy.
Council delays new camera contract
Santa Barbara previously had a contract with Flock Safety, a company that provides automatic license plate reader technology. That contract expired, and city staff had been supporting a proposed contract with a different vendor.
Instead, councilmembers voted to delay the purchase while the city reviews its policies surrounding ALPR technology.
The discussion went beyond which company would provide the cameras.
Councilmembers questioned who should have access to the information, how long data should be retained, how it could be shared with other agencies and what rules should govern its use.
The city attorney told the council that Santa Barbara can establish local rules limiting how ALPR information is collected and shared.
However, a court order or warrant could still require the city to turn over information.
Privacy advocates raise concerns
A significant portion of Tuesday night's public comment focused on surveillance and data privacy.
Ana Garcia, a volunteer with Santa Barbara Resiste, argued that the best way to protect people's information is not to collect it.
“The only way to ensure our data and privacy are secure is to not collect it in the first place.”
Other community members raised concerns about the possibility of ALPR systems being hacked or information being accessed or used beyond its original purpose.
The American Civil Liberties Union has also raised broader concerns about ALPR technology, arguing that the issues surrounding surveillance do not depend solely on which company provides the cameras.
Councilmember Megan Harmon said the city should carefully consider the potential privacy implications.
“I think we all need to take a really good, hard look in the mirror about what we choose to do when it comes to privacy, because the risks are profound.”
Police defend technology
Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon told the council that ALPRs are an important investigative tool for law enforcement.
The cameras capture license plate information and can help investigators identify vehicles connected to criminal investigations.
Gordon pointed to a homicide investigation in which the technology helped investigators identify and ultimately prosecute a suspect.
“I understand there's privacy concerns. I also know that this technology led to the identification and successful prosecution of someone who murdered someone in cold blood.”
Gordon said the proposed system was specifically for automatic license plate reading and did not include facial recognition or other technology designed to identify people.
But the distinction did not resolve concerns among some councilmembers and members of the public about how surveillance technology could evolve.
Councilmember Kristen Sneddon raised concerns about the possibility of today's technology incorporating artificial intelligence in the future.
“I can't imagine that anything that is doing any kind of ALPR or surveillance, even if today it isn't using AI, tomorrow it will.”
Councilman caught on microphone using expletive
The debate also became contentious during the meeting.
At one point, Garcia interrupted a conversation between Councilmember Mike Jordan and Chief Gordon.
Jordan was caught on a microphone responding to Garcia with an expletive. KEYT has censored the language.
Mayor Randy Rowse called for civility during the hearing as the exchange unfolded.
Jordan later addressed the incident in an email exchange with Garcia, acknowledging that he was the person who made the comment.
“That was probably me muttering while you interrupted my discussion with the police chief.”
Jordan went on to defend his response, telling Garcia that he believed she had interrupted his discussion with Gordon and arguing that she had the same right to respond to him as he did to her.
Public safety versus privacy
While concerns about surveillance dominated much of the public comment, some councilmembers emphasized the potential public-safety benefits of ALPR technology.
Councilmember Eric Friedman pointed to the potential role of investigative tools in addressing trafficking.
“We want to do everything we can to provide the tools and to address, to address trafficking and prevent it from happening.”
The debate ultimately centered on how Santa Barbara should balance those potential investigative benefits with protections for personal privacy and information.
For now, the city is putting the proposed ALPR contract on hold.
The next step is a review of Santa Barbara's policies governing the technology, including data retention, access and information sharing.
Only after that review will the city consider whether to bring a new ALPR contract back before the council.
Santa Barbara delays new ALPR contract amid surveillance concerns, City Council Meeting gets heated News Channel 3-12.
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