Sanibel considers ordinance for surveillance technology oversight

Sanibel is considering an ordinance that would give city council the authority to approve any future purchases or expansions of surveillance technology, including automated license plate readers. The city has used automated license plate readers since 2008 and currently operates three Flock Falcon cameras. Concerns from residents have previously been raised about the Flock system, including questions about who can access the data, how it is retained, and whether it can be shared. Under the proposed ordinance, the city council would be directly involved in decisions about surveillance technology moving forward. Sanibel police have updated their policies for accessing and using license plate reader information. Officers are now required to provide an offense type, case number, and written explanation before searching the database. Previously, only an offense type was required. Additionally, traffic infractions have been removed from the list of offense types eligible for searches. Eric Jackson, Sanibel’s public information officer, said, "Today's discussion will be about establishing an amendment to the procurement policy in an ordinance that would have council weigh in on the future acquisition or deployment of ALPR technology, as the technology evolves. So council would like to be able to weigh in and have the city be transparent in that process and how the technology is used in the future." The city council is not currently being asked to approve a new surveillance system but to determine whether these rules should apply before any future systems or capabilities are added. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.