Heber City has used license plate reader technology for over 15 years.
Police Chief Parker Sever said the department made the switch to cameras from Flock Safety in 2024 because it’s more affordable than other companies. There are eight cameras around the city.
NPR reports the license plate reader technology has attracted scrutiny over who can access the data from local cameras, especially when it comes to federal immigration enforcement.
At a meeting with the Heber City Council Aug. 18, Sever explained the cameras don’t monitor individuals, and the data is used for specific cases.
“We’ve solved many hit-and-run accidents with utilizing this system,” he said. “We’ve located missing persons from out of state. We’ve had hits on two homicide suspects wanted on the Wasatch Front that were in our community.”
Sever said since the cameras capture vehicles’ rear license plates, they aren’t intended to show officers who’s in the vehicle.
“It does not provide us registration information, does not provide us insurance information, does not provide us immigration status, does not provide us any identifying information other than a picture of a license plate,” he said.
NPR reports many local agencies have shared their data more broadly than they realized, and federal agencies, including U.S. Border Patrol, have searched that data.
Some U.S. cities have stopped using Flock cameras to prevent immigration enforcement agencies from accessing their data, according to the New York Times.
Concern over the technology has also sparked a “de-Flock” movement of people mapping the cameras’ locations.
Sever said Heber City’s data is secure and federal agents cannot freely use it.
“The data is never sold to a third party,” he said. “It is the property of Heber City, and nobody else has access to that unless I grant them access.”
Councilmember Aaron Cheatwood said he felt reassured about data privacy after talking with a Flock representative.
Councilmember Yvonne Barney said she understands some residents’ feeling that they “don’t want Big Brother to be watching” them.
“It’s not like we’re in a crime-ridden area, and people start to ask questions: ‘Well, gee, are you doing it for ICE? Who’s doing this? Who’s enforcing this, and who’s trying to?’” she said. “So, I’m wondering if we can, for the future, maybe have Flock, your representative, come back. Let’s have a little bit bigger discussion.”
She proposed posting more information about the technology on the city’s website.
A spokesperson for the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office said the agency doesn’t have any license plate readers.
In Summit County, two license plate cameras from Motorola Solutions were recently vandalized.
Heber City is a financial supporter of KPCW.
