Maricopa County sheriff calls for felony penalties for misuse of license plate reader data

Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan wants the misuse of license plate reader data to be a felony, bringing penalties in line with existing punishment for similar violations.

“I would like to see the Arizona Legislation make it a felony to misuse the (license plate reader) information, just as it is with (Criminal Justice Information Services) information,” Sheridan said Friday on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.

The proposal comes as law enforcement agencies across the Valley grapple with employee misuse of the surveillance technology. An Apache Junction officer resigned last week after using the system to track his wife and Chandler police are investigating an employee for potential misuse of the cameras.

Sheridan said his office has 304 deputies and detectives authorized to access the system and that any employee who violates the policies would be fired. He said criminal consequences are needed as a stronger deterrent.

“There’s always a very small few out there that will misuse it for one reason or another,” Sheridan said.

Unlike Pinal County, which announced this month it would not renew its contract with camera vendor Flock Safety, Sheridan said Maricopa County will still use the technology. The agency limits data sharing to Arizona law enforcement and has changed their policy to only keep the recordings for seven days.

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