Last December, Salt Lake City stopped installing new ALPR devices following community backlash. The City had planned to accept a grant from the Trump administration to install more of these surveillance devices on Salt Lake City’s west side, but workers and activists went before the council and stopped the grant.

In spite of earlier efforts, the over 80 license plate readers already installed remained up, and now the council is trying again. On Tuesday, September 15, they will attempt to adopt insufficient safeguards in an effort to placate community concerns so that SLCPD can continue the build-out of its surveillance network.

The problem is, even with audit trails like those indicated in the proposed ordinance, police departments continue to misuse these devices. Even with strict, state-level prohibitions on data sharing with ICE, local law enforcement routinely ignores the rules. Even with limitations on what the devices can be used to investigate, deadly mistakes still occur. Not to mention that the devices themselves are often far less secure to outside intrusion than their boosters claim.

Salt Lakers don't want this surveillance tech, which is being used by a small handful of billionaires to solidify ever-increasing control over our day-to-day lives. The protections indicated are insufficient, and the data is clear: surveillance tech doesn't keep people safe. Only community can do that.

We, the undersigned, are calling on the council to, instead of pushing through limited "reforms," join the hundreds of cities that have stood firmly for civil liberties and prohibit ALPRs in Salt Lake City entirely.