WINDSOR, CT — The Windsor Town Council this week voted 8-1 to temporarily pause the use of the town’s 16 automatic license plate readers after many residents raised privacy concerns with the devices at several recent meetings.
The town is hoping to review and renegotiate its contract with Flock Safety, the company behind the cameras, when it comes up for renewal in May. For now, the cameras will be turned off.
Flock Safety is one of several companies providing ALPRs to Connecticut police departments, and the most widely used. Rollout of the cameras has happened slowly and gradually, with no state regulation or oversight. Since there is no state oversight, it is unclear how many ALPRs are currently in use in the state, but officials have said at least 40 local police departments are using them.
Windsor officials last month adopted a policy guiding the use of cameras, which limits how they can be used and is meant to protect “the privacy, dignity, civil rights, and personal information of all residents.”
“The current contract does not meet the town policy that we have passed recently, and we recognize that there are some serious concerns with Flock as a company,” Councilor Ojana Naeem said this week. “But I believe that there are tools and solutions for our police department that we need to look at and have in place to support their ability to not only solve crimes but also stop crimes from happening.”
The cameras take photos of the rear license plate of each vehicle that passes by. Supporters – particularly in law enforcement – say the cameras have been very helpful in solving and preventing crimes and have helped locate missing people. Opponents worry about departments across the country and federal agencies and immigration officials tapping into that data.
“What troubles me most is that the data gathered here in Windsor does not stay here. That is not local safety,” Deacon Art Miller, Windsor’s 2021 Citizen of the Year, told the council during public comment. “Behind every (license) plate is a human story.”
Windsor resident Jeremy Halek encouraged the council to keep the cameras on, saying cameras are already everywhere and the ALPRs have been very helpful for police.
“We should be doing everything we can to support our local, state and federal police in doing their job,” Halek said.
When Windsor first signed its contract with Flock in 2022, officials automatically gave access to agencies across the country to the data without anyone being notified. That setting was later turned off, Police Chief Donald Melanson has said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut last year called for a statewide moratorium on their use until the state passes legislation to prevent the misuse, sharing, and selling of driver-location data. The cameras put residents at risk, the ACLU said, including immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and those seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care out of state.
State Rep. Maryam Khan, D-Windsor, asks a question about a proposed budget amendment during House debate on the 2026-27 budget. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
State Rep. Maryam Khan, D-Windsor, told the council that the legislature is reviewing the use of ALPRs but that no specific bill language has been drafted yet.
“Our residents deserve clarity and confidence that surveillance technology is governed by strong data privacy protections,” Khan said. “I thank you for ensuring that that is the case here in Windsor.”