Tyler For Enfield Campaign Press Release Re:“FLOCK” Cameras

Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras are popping up across the state and the country. These cameras collect data on vehicles (hence drivers too) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This seemingly benign activity nonetheless constitutes state surveillance which poses serious questions for the safety and privacy of all citizens. ALPR technology is famously inaccurate and has incorrectly flagged innocent individuals as being involved in criminal activity. For instance, the Los Angeles Police Department broke their ALPR contract with Flock this year after an internal audit showed that Flock incorrectly identified vehicles as stolen 32% of the time often resulting in police officers stopping drivers (without probable cause) at gunpoint and arresting innocent citizens (who weren’t doing anything illegal at the time of arrest). This is more than just a potential threat to life and liberty. It is real and it is dangerous. As a society we simply cannot afford to roll the dice when it comes to citizen rights and safety.

I believe deeply that justice is grounded in the Constitution. The Connecticut General Assembly must pass a legal moratorium on the indiscriminate use of ALPR cameras in our state. If elected to be your 58^th District State Representative, I commit to proposing an ALPR ban to protect the safety and privacy for all of us.