RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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SALT LAKE CITY \u2014 Police have always had to adapt to emerging technology to keep up with modern times, whether that's the emergence of the automobile or the creation of the internet.Automatic license plate readers have been part of the next level of embracing technology.They quickly collect license plate data as motorists drive past one, logging the plate's time, location and other data that can be used for police purposes. It's helped identify a man who was arrested last year and later convicted of stalking Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, and it helped locate the man suspected of killing three people in Wayne County earlier this year.However, the technology has also sparked controversy over concerns about mass surveillance, who has access to the data and how it's used. That's why Salt Lake City is seeking to adopt a new code that would specifically outline uses and who can have access to the information they collect."We want to have technology to do our jobs, but that has to be something that the public, at some level, trusts, and we have to make it sustainable," said Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd, as the Salt Lake City Council discussed the issue last week.Salt Lake City began crafting a new camera data policy after an uproar over $224,000 that the Salt Lake City Police Department was slated to get from a grant the Davis County Sheriff's Office received, which would go toward expanding the city's fleet of license plate reader cameras, particularly near Beck Street.The city works with Vigilant Solutions as its contracted vendor for criminal investigations. While the city has used these types of cameras for years, several residents spoke against the technology during a public hearing in December. Many voiced concerns over whether data collected could be shared with federal agencies, like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."This is supposed to be the most free country on the planet, and since when is creating a system of mass surveillance ... a component of freedom?" said resident Charlie Padilla during the meeting.Related: Salt Lake City postpones decision on $224K grant amid concerns over how it'll be used Salt Lake City leaders voted to adopt millions of dollars in grants to the city's budget on Tuesday, but they agreed to delay a vote on the smallest award amid the controversy it generated. Salt Lake City leaders have mentioned the grant a few times since then, including during their finalization of
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