Saint Joseph council approves grant to install license-plate readers amid privacy objections

The Saint Joseph City Council voted to accept an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount stated during the ordinance reading as $36,755 to purchase and install license-plate readers for the Saint Joseph Police Department and the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office.

Kevin Sigman, a member of the public who spoke against the proposal, said the program represents "warrantless community surveillance," alleging the Department of Justice and vendors would use local systems to expand a nationwide domestic surveillance network and that data would be transmitted off-site and retained beyond 30 days. "Being a party to warrantless searches doesn't keep me safe," Sigman said, and he warned that aggregated vehicle-location data creates a persistent record of residents' movements.

Chief Buster, introducing the system for the department, described the vendor platform (identified in the presentation as Flock) as "infrastructure free" and hosted in an Azure law-enforcement cloud. He said the system captures images of the rear of vehicles, not drivers, and is not facial-recognition or traffic-enforcement technology. "It's deleted every 30 days," Chief Buster said, adding the department requested that retention period and that proactive entry to hot lists must be approved by command staff and linked to an active investigation.

Council members asked about opt-out options and deployment plans. Chief Buster said the vendor provides a "safe list" so residents can opt out, but acknowledged that opting out could limit recovery of a stolen vehicle. He said exact camera locations were still being determined and that the city included 12 units in the grant with possible future additions.

The ordinance authorizing the budget amendment and acceptance of the Edward Byrne grant was read by the clerk and placed before the council for a vote; the measure passed on the council's voice vote.

Next steps noted by staff include finalizing deployment locations, confirming vendor contract terms and the department's draft policy and audit procedures. The council did not suspend or alter the city's stated oversight requirements at the time of the vote.

The council's action authorizes the city to accept the grant and proceed with procurement and implementation under the department's policy, subject to applicable state law and any further council direction.