Chandler Ends Flock License-Plate Reader Program After Audit
Chandler has discontinued its Flock Safety automated license-plate reader program after an audit identified unexplained activity involving the system, changing how the Chandler Police Department collects and retains vehicle-location data.
The decision, reported Aug. 7, concerns fixed automated license-plate-reader cameras used in Chandler. The program ended in August 2026, according to the reported city action. The available material does not specify what the audit found beyond describing the activity as unexplained.
That limitation matters. The approved information does not establish that the activity involved criminal misuse, unauthorized access or data theft. It also does not establish that Chandler has permanently banned all automated license-plate readers.
Renewal timeline changed
The city’s renewal question had been moving toward the Chandler City Council. The renewal item was withdrawn from the council’s July 16, 2026 agenda, according to the approved handoff.
The item was then scheduled for consideration at the council’s regular meeting on Aug. 13, 2026. The City of Chandler’s official council-meeting schedule lists that regular meeting date.
The timeline does not, by itself, confirm that the council formally voted to renew, cancel or replace the system on Aug. 13. It identifies a scheduled consideration date, while the reported discontinuation came before that meeting. The available records do not explain the precise mechanism by which the service was discontinued or whether the cameras were removed immediately.
What changes for Chandler
Automated license-plate readers can create records tied to vehicles observed by cameras. For Chandler, ending the Flock Safety program changes the immediate status of the city’s existing system and removes the near-term question of whether that service would be renewed as scheduled.
The decision also leaves a broader municipal policy question unresolved. Chandler may need to determine whether it will adopt a replacement automated license-plate-reader system, establish new restrictions on the technology, or take another approach. The available sources do not identify a replacement system, new rules or a final long-term policy.
That uncertainty affects both public-safety technology and city oversight. The program’s end changes the current arrangement for collecting and retaining vehicle-location information, but it does not answer what standards would apply if Chandler later considers similar technology.
What is known about the next step
The next date identified in the approved material is the Chandler City Council’s regular meeting on Aug. 13, 2026. The schedule supports that meeting date, but the available information does not confirm what action, if any, the council was expected to take after the program’s discontinuation.
The packet also does not include the complete audit report. As a result, the city’s public explanation of the unexplained activity, the status of any stored information and the details of the program’s shutdown remain unclear in the available records.
For now, the confirmed local development is narrower but significant: Chandler ended its Flock Safety automated license-plate-reader program after an audit identified unexplained system activity. Whether the city replaces the program or creates new limits for automated license-plate readers remains unsettled.
Sources
- City Council Meetings and Agendas, City of Chandler
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