While the city of Tempe announced last week that it would cancel it's contract with Flock Group and turn off cameras due to privacy concerns, residents still had concerns.
Some residents pointed to an agenda item at the council meeting stating the city would consider a contract with another automatic license plate reader company, Scottsdale-based Axon, which the city has an existing contract with for police equipment.
Mayor Corey Woods, however, clarified the agenda item listed was an error and the city is sticking by its decision.
“I want to make it abundantly clear that the item was a clerical error and not a change in direction by the city,” he said.
Other residents were still concerned, but hopeful after seeing the decision earlier this week.
Emily Kirkland, co-chair of the Phoenix Democratic Socialists chapter agreed with the decision to end the contract with Flock, but said Axon was also not a viable option for cameras as the company and technology posed privacy risks.
But representatives from all political parties and affiliations came to speak to the council and share their support of the decision.
“You did the right thing with Flock, but let’s not trade a poled camera for a cloud,” said Eric Fowler, chair of the Maricopa County Libertarian Party.
Fowler and others were concerned the agenda item involving Axon and that personal data like license plate numbers could still be stored and used in police work.
The council did not address the storage of Axon, and the contract involving only the police equipment has not yet come before the council.
Tempe was one of several cities that turned off Flock cameras. Chandler and Surprise also ended the relationship while other cities were conducting audits of the system.
Still some cities, like Phoenix that uses a Motorola Solutions version of the automated licenses plate readers, said they would continue using the technology.
The automated readers, which can identify vehicles not just by license plates but features of a car from bumper stickers to dents, can store information for 30 days and share that information with whatever agencies are on similar networks.
While law enforcement supporters point out the cameras have helped solve crimes from kidnappings to stolen cars, opponents say the cameras represent a violation of constitutional rights.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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