ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Asheville City Council will decide Tuesday whether to direct the city manager to terminate Asheville’s contract with Flock Safety, but the resolution could leave open questions about whether the city will continue using — or eventually resume using — automated license plate reader technology.
The resolution is scheduled for the council’s 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday at Asheville City Hall.
Councilmember Kim Roney, who supports ending the Flock contract, says the resolution doesn’t go far enough.
In a post Monday, Roney pointed to language in the resolution referring to whether Asheville should resume using Flock technology and stating that Flock technology “may appropriately be used in the future.”
Roney is calling instead for the city to ban the purchase of Flock, Axon or other for-profit automated license plate readers and place a moratorium on the use of existing ALPRs.
The distinction is important because ending Asheville’s Flock contract would not end the police department’s use of automated license plate readers. APD also has an Axon system mounted in police vehicles.
Roney said she supports terminating Flock but does not support replacing it with another ALPR vendor.
Councilmember Bo Hess, who also said he will support ending Asheville’s Flock contract, said Tuesday morning that canceling one vendor should not mean abandoning ALPR technology altogether.
Hess said he has concerns about Flock’s national network and data-sharing practices but considers ALPRs legitimate investigative tools when used with strict rules and public oversight. He said the technology can help police locate stolen vehicles and missing people and develop leads in serious crimes.
“My position is straightforward: Targeted public safety technology under Asheville’s control: yes. Unaccountable national surveillance networks: no. Civil liberties, always,” Hess said.
The competing positions highlight a broader question facing the council: What, if anything, should replace Flock’s stationary cameras and how should Asheville regulate the ALPR technology it continues to use?
Resident Patrick Conant has filed a series of public records requests seeking information about the city’s Flock and Axon contracts, its proposed Real-Time Intelligence Center and policies governing ALPR technology.
Records obtained by Conant show the city finalized and signed its Axon contract Aug. 12, according to correspondence between Conant and City Attorney Brad Branham. The agreement took effect Aug. 1 and runs through the end of 2033.
Conant’s records also include multiple drafts of the city’s proposed Real-Time Intelligence Center policy. Earlier versions included specific provisions addressing ALPR access and use that were removed from later drafts, according to his review of the documents.
The latest RTIC policy had not been adopted as of Aug. 20, according to the records provided by Conant.
Conant also has raised questions about whether the city plans to expand its use of Axon ALPR technology. His records indicate a separate contract involving about 20 additional fleet-mounted ALPR cameras was nearing final signature in July. The underlying contract was not included in the documents reviewed for this story, so the city has not independently confirmed that information.
Another unresolved question is whether Flock’s stationary cameras could eventually be replaced with stationary cameras from another vendor, including Axon. The council’s resolution does not establish such a replacement.
Councilmember Sage Turner addressed the broader constitutional questions surrounding ALPR technology Monday, saying the city is bringing in the American Civil Liberties Union to help “navigate next steps.”
CLICK HERE TO SEE A LETTER FROM APD CHIEF JACKIE STEPP TO CITY COUNCIL
