Ralph Johnson seizes the podium and addresses board members on oversight. Johnson wants to know who watches the watchers. Paula Farmer | Washtenaw Voice
By Aidan Ross
Contributor
A proposal to install license plate readers in Ypsilanti Township is at a standstill after multiple concerns were raised by township residents and activists at several board meetings.
License plate readers, or LPRs, are cameras that record the license plates and backs of passing vehicles. The cameras then cross-reference this information with lists of people wanted by law enforcement, and can alert law enforcement when a wanted person is within their jurisdiction.
According to Stan Eldridge, township treasurer, the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees currently has no timetable to resume discussion of the proposal.
“The township hasn’t moved one way or the other yet. We’re still right in the middle, trying to do our due diligence before we even discuss moving forward.”, Eldridge said.
Township officials are waiting for clarification from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department on several details in a draft policy approved by undersheriff Mark Ptaszek to determine how it would use the cameras.
Repeated attempts to reach township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo were unsuccessful.
According to Eldridge, township officials will be meeting soon with University of Michigan Information Technology Services to discuss the data security of the proposed LPR system.
University of Michigan Information Technology Services could not be reached for a comment.
Despite the Sheriff’s Department’s draft policy specifically mentioning Flock Security, one company that makes LPR systems, there hasn’t been a decision on a vendor yet.
“There are people who have reached out from multiple companies, but nobody has been selected. This will be bid out in a fair way, should we ever get to that point.”, Eldridge said.
According to Eldridge, township officials have not officially discussed where the funding for an LPR system would come from, or how much money they would spend on it.
Eldridge also said all further discussion of the proposal will occur publicly. “We’re not trying to slide anything through,” Eldridge said. “We’re not trying to hide anything.”
The dates, times, and agendas of all Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees meetings can be found on the township’s homepage, in the Upcoming Events column.
