Queen Creek Town Council will consider “enhanced safeguards” for its Flock system and “potential contract changes" at its Sept. 2 meeting.
The Aug. 12 announcement comes on the heels of three metro Phoenix police officers, in separate Valley departments, being suspected of misusing the system, and of two other agencies canceling their Flock contracts.
In the last week, the Goodyear Police Department announced it had placed one officer on leave to investigate possible criminal misuse of Flock technology; an Apache Junction officer resigned in the face of similar allegations; Chandler announced it was cancelling its Flock contract after an audit flagged activity of one of its officers; and Tempe announced it was changing its Flock data-sharing policies.
Queen Creek is poised to be the next town to make significant changes to its policies.
Police Chief Randy Brice said in a statement the proposed changes were not prompted by any technology misuse but rather a “proactive approach.”
“Our goal is to preserve the operational value of ALPR while continuing to protect privacy, reinforce accountability and maintain the trust of our community,” he said in the statement.
The town’s Flock system contract has been in place since 2022, according to Constance Halonen-Wilson, a town spokesperson.
The Aug. 12 announcement stated the council will consider a slew of potential policy and ordinance changes.
The potential policy changes could further restrict access and data sharing.
The Town Council will also discuss a potential ordinance change to enhance accountability and make it a misdemeanor to misuse the automatic license plate readers, the announcement stated.
In addition to potential contract changes, the town will discuss other available technology.
The town’s announcement stated Flock access was “limited to trained and authorized personnel, searches are tied to individual user accounts, and system activity is logged, reviewable, and subject to audit.”
The town’s website goes further, stating it does not share Flock data with outside Arizona agencies, immigration enforcement or approve or initiate data sharing with federal agencies.
Mayor Julia Wheatley, in a statement, said she wanted to ensure the offices have access to the tools while balancing technology with accountability.
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Reporter Maritza Dominguez, who covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek, can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Another town in metro Phoenix rethinks use of Flock cameras
