Fayetteville has joined a growing list of cities in banning the use of Flock cameras. Yesterday, the City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the purchase and use of automatic license plate readers, including those distributed by Atlanta-based Flock Safety. The company has come under fire nationwide for concerns about privacy and due process.
Fayetteville Police Department does not currently use any ALPRs. But Councilman Bob Stafford, who sponsored the ordinance, says the city still needs a policy to address the growing issue.
"I believe that sometimes you want to take precautions, not wait for a problem to arise and then have to say, 'Oh, darn, I wish I would have taken precautions.'"
The ordinance does not ban the use of body, dashboard, security, traffic or parking management systems. It passed 7-0 with one member absent.
Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
