In a country increasingly divided along political ideologies, partisan politics are coming together to answer the age old dynamic between privacy and security.
On Wednesday, the blue-leaning Tempe, Ariz. turned off its Flock automated license plate readers and said the city would not seek another company to replace the system. Three hours later, the nearby red-leaning town of Cave Creek did the same. The same day in Washington, D.C., Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, opened a formal investigation into the company, while independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders posted a lengthy statement pledging to introduce legislation against it.
Tempe’s police department had used Flock’s cameras to help solve crimes, and the city said its own audits, conducted monthly, turned up no misuse. But that wasn’t enough to keep the system running. “These cameras have helped our police officers do their jobs, and we don’t discount that,” Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement shared with Fortune. “But the risk of misuse is too great. We have to be able to provide public safety in a way that maintains the trust of our community. For Tempe, that means taking these cameras down.”
Tempe Councilmember Bobby Nichols said the decision was a matter of legal principle. “Any law enforcement tool used by the City must not pose a risk of infringing on residents’ civil liberties,” he said. “We have a responsibility to ensure that these technologies are only employed if they present a narrowly tailored solution to a compelling government interest.”
