Queen Creek makes it a crime to misuse automatic license plate readers

Queen Creek made it illegal for employees to misuse automatic license plate readers, like Flock cameras, on Wednesday, becoming the first town in Arizona to do so.

The Town Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that not only implemented new risk-based safeguards for the technology but also penalties for misuse of the cameras.

The guardrails include a unique, role-based user login and valid case, event or identification number being required to access the technology. Additionally, the user must provide a specific and legitimate law enforcement purpose for their search within the system.

Anyone who is found to have knowingly misused the system could face a $2,500 fine and up to six months in jail.

“If misuse is the concern, as it has been, we’ve seen many instances in the newspaper of people being human, rather than take away that effective and legal tool, let’s address the policy gaps. Let’s address the gaps in accountability,” Councilmember Jeff Brown said prior to the vote in support of the ordinance. “Police departments at the end of the day are made up of humans. Humans are not perfect and cops are fallible just like the rest of us.”

 

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Additionally, Councilmember Leah Martineau, who works for the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network, expressed that while she understood residents concerns regarding the technology, she isn’t willing to have a “knee-jerk reaction” and get rid of the cameras like other municipalities have.

“(This policy is) giving us the chance to continue to look at how can we fix, how can we continue with this technology in good form, knowing that it is doing and that we are doing our due diligence in protecting people. And not doing some of these other things that people are upset with,” Martineau said.

Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice explained during the meeting that the town has a total of 62 cameras that have assisted in 3,794 incidents since 2025.

He noted that unless data from the cameras becomes evidence it is only retained for 30 days, adding that they are currently revaluating that time period.

The town also maintains local control of data from the Flock cameras, meaning it is not shared with federal agencies, agencies outside the state or used for immigration enforcement.

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