Gilbert police officials say automatic license plate readers have become a valuable crime-fighting tool, but some Town Council members are questioning the safeguards surrounding the technology and the town’s ability to respond to misuse.
During a Sept. 16 study session, police detailed how Gilbert uses automatic license plate reader, or ALPR, technology, what information it collects and how officers and other law enforcement agencies can access the data.
The town has used mobile readers since 2010 and began installing fixed readers after a pilot program launched in 2022. Gilbert now has 42 Flock Safety readers — 39 fixed and three mobile — along with license plate-reading capabilities incorporated into Axon camera systems in police vehicles.
