Cleveland police chief pushes back on proposed ALPR pause
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Cleveland police chief Dorothy Todd is pushing back on the Community Police Commission's call to halt the city's use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) starting next year.
Why it matters: While the commission and other local critics believe safeguards can't meaningfully protect data once it's part of a sprawling national network like Flock's, Todd says accountability is the appropriate countermeasure to prevent abuse.
Driving the news: The commission is an independent civilian group created by voters with the 2021 passage of Issue 24 to oversee police policies and discipline. It voted Sept. 23 to pause both fixed and patrol-car ALPRs until it completes a new policy review with community input.
- In a detailed response to commissioners, Todd countered several claims from that meeting that she says mischaracterize how Cleveland uses the technology and the guardrails already in place.
State of play: Cleveland Police already has an ALPR policy on the books, for one thing, Todd said.
- CDP adopted an overarching policy last October that limits data retention to 30 days, restricts historical searches, requires annual training, audits and public reporting.
- Todd also disputed claims that millions of outside searches amounted to millions of searches specifically targeting Cleveland's cameras.
What she's saying: Todd said CDP is unaware of any officer illegally using Flock data.
- "Where improper use has occurred in other jurisdictions, the appropriate response is accountability for the individuals or agencies responsible, along with appropriate safeguards to prevent recurrence — not an assumption that the same conduct has occurred within CDP."
Zoom out: The commission's resolution isn't limited to Flock. It calls for suspending all ALPR technology, something Todd warned would also eliminate other fixed and mobile license plate readers governed by CDP policy.
What's next: The commission wants a policy review to begin within 30 days, but it's still unclear whether the commission has the authority to compel CDP to stop using the technology on Jan. 1.
- Police spokesperson Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz tells Axios that Todd's statement is all it can provide at this time.