Gilbert has no plans to abandon its network of Flock license plate readers, but two Town Council members who split over expanding the system last year remain divided over whether its crime-fighting benefits outweigh privacy concerns.
Councilmember Kenny Buckland, a retired Gilbert police commander, sees the technology as a valuable investigative tool whose misuse should be addressed through safeguards and employee accountability.
Councilmember Monte Lyons sees the issue differently. He opposed expanding the Flock system in June 2025 and remains opposed, saying he believes Gilbert should invest in additional police officers rather than increasingly sophisticated surveillance technology.
The Gilbert Police Department has 39 fixed automatic license plate reader cameras and three mobile cameras after the Town Council approved the expansion. Police say the technology has aided investigations involving homicides, missing people and property crimes.
Gilbert began installing Flock cameras in spring 2023, initially concentrating them in high-traffic areas such as the Heritage District and SanTan Village. By that fall, 25 cameras had been installed in the commercial corridors.
The council in February 2024 approved a five-year contract with Flock Group Inc. The contract runs through Dec. 31, 2029, with an option for another two years.
Council approved an expansion June 10, 2025, on a 5-2 vote, with Lyons and Councilmember Jim Torgeson opposed. That change order authorized up to $629,905 over five fiscal years, subject to annual budget approval, with spending capped at $142,000 per fiscal year.
Lyons said his opposition extends beyond Flock as a company to the broader use of surveillance technology.
"I am not comfortable with a surveillance state," Lyons said. "I'm not comfortable with being filmed without your knowledge."
Buckland reaches the opposite conclusion.
"It's mostly a human problem," Buckland said. "Everything I found (in research) were officers who lacked integrity and did wrong. They violated the system and they were thankfully held accountable for that."
One recent Gilbert case illustrates the technology's investigative value. Police used the Flock system during an August death investigation of 55-year-old Cindy Miller to help track her vehicle, which allegedly had been used by a man they were seeking, 52-year-old Kristopher Lauchner, contributing to officers locating him and making an arrest.
Buckland specifically pointed to that investigation in explaining why he believes Gilbert should retain the technology.
"Without that technology, this case is going to linger," Buckland said. "And we've had a lot of public sentiment over a couple of cold cases that we haven't been able to solve, and nobody likes that. This technology helps us solve crimes."
Lyons acknowledged the technology has helped police solve crimes, including cases Buckland cited, but said he believes the potential cost to privacy outweighs those benefits.
"I don't disagree with that, but I can show you a hundred cases that I have bookmarked on social media from around the country where people have had negative issues with it," Lyons said.
The Flock system does more than read license plates. Its "Vehicle Fingerprint" technology allows police to search for vehicles by characteristics such as body type, make and color, potentially helping investigators identify a vehicle even when they do not have a license plate number.
The cameras also can compare plates against criminal justice databases for stolen vehicles and plates, wanted people and vehicles associated with Amber, Silver and Blue alerts.
Gilbert says information collected by its cameras is used exclusively for law enforcement investigations and is not shared with federal agencies, used for noncriminal justice investigations or sold to third parties.
Images are automatically deleted on a rolling 30-day basis unless needed as evidence in an active investigation, according to the town.
The Police Department also is increasing its oversight. Gilbert said previous audits have found no instances of misuse, but the department is updating its procedures to conduct audits monthly instead of annually.
Buckland said such controls are the appropriate response to concerns about misuse.
"For us, if we have a technology, we need to have a policy that governs appropriate use and holds accountable those that abuse that," Buckland said. "And it's our job to deal with those humans that makes those kinds of mistakes or leave it at that."
Lyons said he has spoken with Town Manager Mario Paniagua and police about policies designed to protect residents against misuse and acknowledged the town is working on the issue.
But safeguards do not resolve his fundamental objection. Lyons said he believes money spent on surveillance would be better directed toward putting more officers on Gilbert streets.
"It makes us feel good, but it doesn't make us any safer," Lyons said. "I'm sorry, that's my opinion on it. Yeah, you're going to solve some crimes, but I guarantee you put a beat officer on the street, it's going to be far more effective."
That argument runs counter to one Buckland makes in favor of the cameras. Buckland said Gilbert historically has used technology as a "force multiplier" because its police staffing has been low compared with neighboring departments.
"Gilbert has been a leader in really force multiplying for decades because of our very, very low staffing compared to our neighbors," Buckland said. "We've always relied on good technology to help us bring justice to victims."
Lyons said he intends to push for a council discussion of the issue, in part to make the case for adding officers. But that does not mean Gilbert could simply end its current agreement.
Lyons said he has reviewed the contract and does not believe it contains language allowing the town to cancel it before its expiration.
"That particular contract does not have language that allow us to cancel it, but I am going to hard push that we do not renew it," Lyons said. "And we need to have a policy discussion on what exactly. And this discussion needs to happen. If we're not going to use this surveillance technology, what do we put in its place for the police officers to get the same level of coverage that they would need to mitigate not having that tool?"
Gilbert officials, meanwhile, said there has been no discussion about removing the cameras because of the value police believe they provide. Any council consideration would have to be placed on a future public meeting agenda.
For Buckland, misuse of the technology by individuals is not enough reason to give up a tool that can help solve crimes.
"I'm not going to ban guns because people murder with guns and I'm not going to ban cars because people commit DUIs and injure and kill people," Buckland said. "It's technology that helps solve crimes."
For Lyons, the question is whether that investigative capability is worth expanding a system capable of tracking people's movements.
"If you got a tool and it can be abused, people are going to abuse it," Lyons said. "That's just the natural force of things."
Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him on X at @sp_blodgett.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
I wish you would report on the cost of these contracts with Flock and others. I also think that the problem is also the only thing that an abusers faces is losing their job? What about the cost to City for getting sued if improperly used? I'd like to see a cost vs benefit. I tend to agree with hiring more officers rather than bad tech that can and will be abused. Is anyone involved invested in this tech? They should be able to do a Termination for Convenience, however that means the City is on the hook for $$$ owed to the company. It can be done though. Is Buckland taking into account the victims of misuse and what they go through?
By 
Jakoe
I wish you would report on the cost of these contracts with Flock and others. I also think that the problem is also the only thing that an abusers faces is losing their job? What about the cost to City for getting sued if improperly used? I'd like to see a cost vs benefit. I tend to agree with hiring more officers rather than bad tech that can and will be abused. Is anyone involved invested in this tech? They should be able to do a Termination for Convenience, however that means the City is on the hook for $$$ owed to the company. It can be done though. Is Buckland taking into account the victims of misuse and what they go through?
Thursday, August 20 Report this