What started as one Maricopa resident’s effort to protest Flock cameras drew 18 residents to city hall yesterday.
Rancho El Dorado resident Amber Rutan organized the Sept. 1 rally to call on the city to remove its more than 40 automated license plate reader cameras. The protest came after Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple canceled his department’s Flock contract, saying he had concerns about the technology’s expanded artificial intelligence capabilities and potential Fourth Amendment implications.
“I just feel like the more Maricopa kind of speaks up, the more city council members and the city is going to have to listen to us,” Rutan said.
Her concerns over the use of ALPRs in surveillance emerged over the last year as she began seeing more discussion on social media and local news. Rutan said she viewed them as an example of “government overstep” and stalking.
“If that can happen somewhere else, then it could definitely happen here … I don’t have anything to hide but, at the same time, how much [surveillance] is too much?” she asked.
Desert Passage resident Jued Kolbeck was among the attendees. He said he felt the cameras are an invasion of privacy.
“Right now, people are saying it’s for the safety of everybody but … we’re seeing a lot of people stalking people, their exes,” he said. “I’m not saying Maricopa has done this by any means, but seeing other stories about it, I just don’t want that snowball to even start. It’s just going to get worse.”
Rutan also said she initially only expected a handful of others to join her, but a total of 17 other Maricopa residents joined the protest. Nearly two-thirds spoke during the meeting’s call to the public.
That included former city councilmember and state house candidate Julia Gusse, who related it back to her time in the U.S. Air Force “monitoring and surveilling the enemy.”
“We, the residents of Maricopa, are not the enemy. These cameras must come down,” she said. “I support the police and I know that many of you discuss this and see this as a necessary need for our police department, but these cameras will only create more questions than answers.”
Maricopa Police Department has defended its use of the cameras.
In a previous statement, officials said MPD “understands the high expectations our residents and City leadership have for public safety. We remain committed to using this technology responsibly, transparently and in full compliance with applicable laws and policies.”
InMaricopa also contacted a city spokesperson to see if ALPRs may be added to a future council agenda. A spokesperson said the city is preparing a response.
However, Rutan isn’t letting that discourage her.
“As long as we continue and keep showing up … once it becomes an issue raised, they’ll have to do something about it. Right now, we’re just having the issue be visible, like, we’re concerned citizens and we need to be heard,” she said.
