APD gets temporary extension of license plate reader program

The Austin Police Department’s use of automated license plate readers as an investigative tool will continue through June, City Council decided last week.

Later this year, Council will determine whether to make the pilot program a permanent feature, depending on the findings of the city auditor’s analysis to be presented to the Audit and Finance Committee in May.

The controversial data-collection program, a one-year trial that was implemented in March 2024, was set to end March 28, the day after Council agreed to the temporary extension.

The reader program allows police to quickly scan license plates as part of local crime investigations. Law enforcement leaders and segments of the community laud the use of the reader program because of its record of helping to solve serious crimes and potentially thwarting criminal activity before it occurs.

However, others view the program as a threat to civil liberties. The agenda item drew opposition from several public speakers, and some Council members expressed concern that police would be required to turn over data to federal agents who either requested or subpoenaed the information.

“I do believe the landscape has changed dramatically since the last time (license plate readers) were in front of this body,” Council Member Mike Siegel said before Thursday’s vote, acknowledging the safeguards that Council put into place when it implemented the program.

Siegel explained his reasoning was because of governmental entities that have a “complete disregard for civil rights and the rule of law.” He cited the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident in New York who is under threat of deportation for speaking out against the war in Gaza. Closer to home, he noted, the state of Texas has prosecuted people for alleged reproductive crimes and targeted vulnerable residents with other legislation.

“I’m concerned that continuing (the program) will put our residents at risk,” Siegel said.

Council members Zo Qadri and Natasha Harper-Madison voiced similar concerns and together with Siegel constituted the three dissenting votes in the 8-3 decision.

Council Member Chito Vela reasoned that Council would be able to make a more informed decision with the temporary extension and the analysis. He said he was comfortable knowing the city auditor would make sure that the collected data was being used and accessed as Council intended. He said, “We just have to be very, very careful about how we protect it and how we restrict access to it.”

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license, via Wikimedia Commons.

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