Philadelphia City Council calls for state to take action on license plate readers as privacy concerns grow

Amid growing privacy concerns, leaders in Philadelphia are asking Pennsylvania to put guardrails in place for Flock cameras and other license plate readers. 

Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution Thursday calling for the state to ban or regulate automatic license plate readers, also known as ALPRs. 

The cameras, which can track cars and store license plate information, have been at the center of controversy due to privacy concerns.

City council members criticized the cameras and an ALPR company called Flock after reports of police officers misusing the database to spy on and stalk people who weren't involved in a crime. 

Councilwoman Rue Landau introduced the resolution. She said Flock and other ALPR companies need to be regulated.

"We are very quickly giving up our civil liberties under this theory of safety, but we are watching that it's not making us safe. It's actually surveilling us," she said. 

Before the vote on the resolution, community members weighed in. 

"The cameras are a tool that our law enforcement can use to catch people that are stealing cars," said one man during the public comment period. 

Another speaker said, "Your journey today from your home to this hall has been painstakingly documented without your permission, and there is nothing that you can do about it."

Philadelphia police said the department does not use Flock but confirmed it has 137 license plate readers across the city. The department said some of its vehicles also have the technology. 

Pennsylvania State Police also said they do not operate Flock cameras, but a spokesperson did not specify whether the department uses other license plate readers. 

Temple Police did not respond to our questions.

In response to the criticism and calls for a ban, a spokesperson with Flock said in a statement, "A blanket ban would take a proven investigative tool away from communities and officers who rely on it."

A Flock spokesperson also said the company supports and would welcome bipartisan legislation to regulate the use of the cameras.