Press Release: 11/5/2026

Mayor Introduces Ordinance Regulating ALPR Technology

 



Balances Public Safety Needs and Personal Privacy Interests



NEW BEDFORD –  Mayor Jon Mitchell today introduced a new City Ordinance that would place greater restrictions on the employment of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology. The ordinance comes after the New Bedford Police Department (NBPD) announced it will not renew its contract with Flock Safety, its current provider of ALPR services, after the contract expires on November 12.



The legislation reflects Mayor Mitchell’s effort to balance public safety benefits of ALPR technology with personal privacy concerns. The law includes several common-sense reforms, such as requiring all ALPR searches to be conducted by trained personnel and only for authorized public safety purposes. The ordinance also requires the City to delete all ALPR data not relevant to an open criminal or internal investigation after 30 days. It also prohibits the sale, commercial exploitation, or unauthorized secondary use of ALPR data. The ordinance also sets up new NBPD procedures for reviewing allegations of unauthorized access of ALPR data.



“License plate readers are a powerful tool to promote public safety, but they must be used responsibly,” Mayor Mitchell said. “This ordinance would put clear limits on ALPR technology that are designed to prevent misuse, protect legitimate privacy concerns, and enable the police to keep our City safe.”



“Any policy governing the use of law enforcement technology must be grounded in both public trust and the goal of providing the very best public safety services available,” said Chief Jason Thody. “Our experience with ALPR technology has reinforced the importance of having clear expectations and ensuring those expectations are met. It has also shown how effective this technology can be, and its importance in modern law enforcement. I believe this ordinance is an important step toward establishing a consistent framework for the future, and I look forward to continuing to work with city leadership as it moves forward.”



Background



License Plate Reader (LPR) technology has been used by police departments around Massachusetts and the country since the early 2000s. Automatic license plate reader technology is still relatively new, becoming a mainstream law enforcement tool within the past few years. More than 6,000 other jurisdictions across the country had already signed agreements with Flock and other ALPR companies before the NBPD did so. The NBPD adopted Flock Safety’s ALPR technology in December 2024.



ALPR technology has proven invaluable for thousands of police departments, including in New Bedford, allowing the NBPD to locate stolen vehicles, identify vehicles associated with serious crimes, and find missing or endangered people. ALPR technology has contributed to the NBPD’s efforts to keep the City safer by providing officers with the tools they need to monitor city streets without having to have an officer posted on every corner. In March 2025, ALPR technology was used to track down Wilo Morales Colon, a New Bedford resident who was wanted following the death of Karina Martinez-Ortiz, outside Springfield, Massachusetts. ALPR technology was also vital during the manhunt for the Brown University shooter in December 2025.



In recent months, New Bedford residents have voiced reasonable concerns about privacy and misuse during the rise of ALPR technology.



Police Chief Jason Thody ordered a comprehensive audit of the NBPD’s use of Flock technology on July 31 and shut down all Flock cameras citywide on August 11. The resulting audit, which examined Flock searches in 2026, contributed to the firings of the two officers and the NBPD’s decision not to renew its contract with Flock Safety when it expires on November 12. The results of the continuing audit, which is reviewing Flock searches between December 20, 2024, the day Flock’s technology was adopted by the NBPD, and December 31, 2025, will be announced upon its completion.



Ordinance Details 



The ordinance reflects emerging practices in other cities to balance public safety and privacy concerns. Specifically, the ordinance:




  • Requires a public hearing and the approval of the City Council before the City can enter or renew an ALPR system contract

  • Restricts ALPR search capabilities to only NBPD personnel who have been certified by a supervisor as having completed ALPR training requirements

  • Requires all ALPR searches or data exports to be logged and subject to an annual audit

  • Prevents the City from retaining ALPR data for a period greater than 30 days unless the information is relevant to an ongoing criminal or internal investigation

  • Deactivates ALPR access to individuals when access is no longer necessary

  • Prohibits the sale of ALPR data

  • Requires the NBPD to adopt procedures for reviewing allegations of unauthorized ALPR access

  • Requires an NBPD officer to visually confirm the license plate, vehicle, alert status, and relevant circumstances before taking enforcement action

  • Establishes rules and regulations for sharing ALPR data upon request by an external law enforcement or criminal justice agency

  • Creates monthly audits of data collection, searches, access, etc., and requires a full written report be provided to the City Council, and secondary public report demonstrating aggregate findings, substantiated violations, and corrective actions



Prohibits ALPR vendors from retaining, accessing, processing, selling, sharing, disclosing, or analyzing collected data unless expressly required by law following the termination of a contract