Hi John,
If you know me at all, you know where I stand on Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs).
This surveillance tech is a dangerous invasion of our personal privacy, with no data-backed benefits.
ALPRs are ripe for abuse, as evidenced by a growing mountain of cases from around the country. In Tempe, Flock's ALPRs were used to track No Kings Protestors in 2025. The companies and CEOS selling ALPRs are shady at best, comically malevolent at worst, and certainly not to be trusted.
I have been fighting against ALPRs since October of 2025, when my fellow socialists in the Phoenix Metro chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America brought the issue to my attention. I spoke out against Flock and other ALPR companies as a private civilian before my election, and since taking office I have used every tool at my disposal to remove this threat to personal privacy from Tempe's streets.
That work takes time, but I am so proud of our progress. The city's decision to cancel our data sharing agreements and open a transparency portal came out of a discussion between myself, my incredible council assistant Morningstar Bloom, and the leaders of our city staff and police department. Two weeks later, following several subsequent conversations between my office and city staff, Tempe deactivated its Flock ALPRs and cancelled its search for a new ALPR provider.
Thanks to the quick and responsive action of Tempe city staff, the privacy of our residents, workers, students, and commuters is more secure than it has been in years.
But the work is not finished.
To protect this progress, we need a new law prohibiting city agencies from buying ALPRs, using ALPRs, or searching through ALPR data.
That's why, this past week, I introduced an ordinance which would do exactly that.
The ordinance is ready to go, but we need more community input before taking it to a vote. So if you live or work or go to school in Tempe, I need your help!
Please take two (2) minutes to complete the short survey linked below. You will be asked whether you support the ordinance and given an opportunity to explain your answer.
If you don't live or work or go to school in Tempe, please send this survey to someone who does!
ALPR abuse is a pressing issue, and we are moving quickly to protect our rights, so please don't put this off! There are only three days left to complete the survey, and we have already received 385 responses.
As always, thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement. This term of office is off to a great start, and I am so inspired by our community.
Best regards and solidarity forever,
Bobby Nichols
