We, the undersigned residents and concerned citizens of Ottawa, Kansas, call on the City Commission and the Police Department to remove Flock Safety cameras from our community and end the use of automated license-plate-reader cameras here.

These cameras photograph vehicles, record license plates, and track where people go and when. That means they can create a record of the movements of people who have not been accused of any crime. For many of us, that feels like too much government surveillance and too little respect for privacy and constitutional rights.

ALPR systems can also produce wrong alerts because of outdated records, incorrect plate readings, or mistaken links to a vehicle. When that happens, innocent people can end up under suspicion and may be forced to explain ordinary travel or prove they are not connected to a problem they had nothing to do with. Public safety matters, but it should not come from treating every driver as a potential suspect.

Once this data is collected, it may be kept, searched, and shared with agencies outside our community without the vehicle owner’s knowledge or consent. That kind of dragnet surveillance creates real risks of misuse, unauthorized access, and tracking that has nothing to do with a specific investigation.

We therefore ask City officials to end the city’s agreement with Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola, Vigilant Solutions, and all other ALPR companies; remove all ALPR cameras operating within the city; delete locally controlled historical license-plate data to the fullest extent permitted by law; disclose how the system has been used, what it has cost taxpayers, which agencies have accessed the data, and whether any incorrect alerts have resulted in stops or investigations; and require meaningful public notice, debate, and approval before any similar surveillance technology is adopted in the future.

Ottawa can support effective law enforcement without creating a permanent record of innocent residents’ movements, locations, associations, shopping habits, and religious affiliations. We ask our city leaders to protect constitutional rights and restore the presumption of innocence in our community.