- Salt Lake City Council postponed a decision on a $224K grant for license plate reader cameras.
- Residents expressed concerns over potential misuse and data and sharing with federal agencies.
- The City Council approved other grants, but delayed its camera decision until 2026.
SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders of Utah's capital city voted to adopt millions of dollars in grants to the city's budget on Tuesday, but they agreed to delay a vote on the smallest award amid the controversy it generated.
The Salt Lake City Council approved $3.2 million in homeless mitigation funding and $666,000 for Jordan River habitat restoration, but it opted to postpone its decision on a $224,000 grant set to be used for expanding the city's fleet of license plate reader cameras after it stoked fears from residents over how the cameras might be used.
Salt Lake City is slated to receive the funds from the Davis County Sheriff's Office through a grant it received. Salt Lake City police want to use it to add more license plate reader cameras to be placed atop traffic light poles at major intersections in the city, such as Beck Street.
However, several residents voiced their concerns with the proposal during a public hearing before the expected vote.
Many wanted to know who could receive that data, whether it's a tech company or a federal entity. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE, was brought up multiple times during the meeting, as were companies that share data with the agency. Others said there's no proof that it reduces crime, or that it could unintentionally open the door for harm to the community, especially if information is shared, leaked or breached.
"This is supposed to be the most free country on the planet, and since when is creating a system of mass surveillance ... a component of freedom?" said resident Charlie Padilla. "We must not allow agencies like ICE to have access to this technology in our city for the protection of our neighbors and all those who exercise their First Amendment rights."
Some of those concerns were brought up in a work session earlier in the day. The technology must be in the city's best interest and should include policies that ensure the technology isn't misused, said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Victoria Petro.
Her district includes the city's west side, where nearly half of the section's residents have a Hispanic/Latino background, according to the University of Utah. A protest over ICE deportations was carried out in Salt Lake City earlier this week, after Utah immigration advocates in Utah warned there might be an imminent uptick in ICE enforcement.
"I believe in what we are building here. I believe in (Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd's) leadership, and I'm proud of what we're doing. I'm not interested in us playing culture war games and penalizing the people who are in my neighborhood for the sake of some voting points that can't be made without causing people to live in fear," Petro said. "That's where I will be drawing the line consistently on this issue."
Redd explained that the city already uses the technology, which is helpful in handling violent crimes. For instance, it can be used to track down a vehicle during an Amber Alert. It was also used in identifying a Farmington man who was later arrested for investigation of stalking Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall after making online threats. The man pleaded guilty in the case last week, per court records.
Police want additional cameras as it builds a real-time crime center, which would be paired with drones and other cameras, Redd said. He added that the department doesn't work with companies like Flock or agencies like ICE, but the department does share information with other federal agencies during specific criminal investigations.
"A lot of these technologies, we've had in the city for a number of years, but I agree, we need to make sure the city (and) the community feels comfortable — they have some visibility into what we're doing," he said.
Some residents called for existing cameras to be removed, while the City Council was split on its next steps. While Petro said it can offer time for the city to review options to improve data safety, such as encrypting technology or removing data from cloud storage, others argued that the cameras could be beneficial in addressing emergencies now.
The City Council ultimately voted 5-2 to approve the two other grants to its budget, while postponing its decision for license-plate reading cameras to another day. It's unclear when the City Council will revisit the budget vote, but its next meeting is slated for January 2026.
