Chandler delays Flock license plate reader vote to August

CHANDLER, AZ — Back in May, community members packed council chambers, speaking in opposition to the city’s contract with Flock Safety, the company behind the license plate reader cameras around the city.

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“I avoid driving by the mall because I have no interest in feeding this data collection machine,” one resident said during that meeting.

The vote was tabled until July 16 to give council time to get their questions answered and to hold an executive session. Community members said then they would return.

“There will be all of us and many more of us,” said Daisy Vega Monarrez, after the May 21 Chandler City Council meeting.

When the July 16 agenda was published this week, a notice at the top read: “The agenda item Renewal of Fixed Camera Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Solution has been withdrawn by the department and will be considered by City Council at the August 13, 2026 Regular Meeting.”

The city says the delay is to give council more time to get their questions answered. But Council Member OD Harris says those conversations haven’t happened at all.

“Since the meeting it has been stone cold quiet, I have not heard anything in regard to what the executive session would be and what that is going to look like,” Harris said.

ABC15 Chandler reporter Molly Hudson asked Harris what he has done since May to push for that meeting. He said he hadn’t asked for an executive session himself, he assumed it would happen following the discussion in May.

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The city confirmed on Friday that the executive session meeting is not going to happen. That was news to Harris.

“You just told me something I did not know. It’s very disappointing and disheartening and it does to me, what it does, it takes away the transparency and accountability,” Harris said.

He is now demanding a meeting.

ABC15 posted about the delay in our Facebook groups, the reaction was swift. Some residents defended the cameras, with one writing, “Flock is one of the best public safety technology platforms for law enforcement use.” Others pushed back, with one commenter saying the delay felt like the city was “ignoring the wishes of the people.”

ABC15 reached out to every city council member for comment, but did not hear back.

The city said council members will be able to meet with experts to get their questions answered before the August meeting.

Council Member OD Harris is also currently pursuing separate legal action against the city of Chandler, stemming from an unrelated case.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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