Meeting Public Comments

Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

Comments Submitted:

02-11-2026

Leah Otting

Re HF 2161: I would like to urge this committee to take seriously the regulation of ALPRs in our cities, especially under contracts with the vendor Flock Safety. Reports show that these surveillance tools do little to stop or prevent crime, while threatening our right to privacy & 4th amendment protections. They are a nascent technology that have been pushed onto our police departments by smoothtalking tech start ups whose goal I would argue is not public safety, but profit. The dragnet surveillance approach and the unsecure, mass data collection that happens by these ALPR cameras means that Iowans' private information is being harvested by third parties, making us vulnerable to scam artists and abuse and overreach by state and federal governments across the nation who have access to the shared database. There are dozens of reports of abuse already, and they will continue because ALPRs are unsecure & unregulated. Please pump the brakes & pass regulation. Thank you.

02-11-2026

Sarah Chang

YES to HF 2161. ALPRs are a very intrusive level of mass surveillance on the entire population, tracking us as we go to work, school, church, even doctors. In the guise of public safety, these companies rake in profits by trampling on everyone's 4th Amendment rights. EVERYONE'S, including yours and every member of your family, including children, with no way to opt out. Third parties in other states and countries access details about vast numbers of innocent people, posing risks to public safety greater than any solutions these companies claim to offer. These huge networks of cameras have already been abused for stalking and harassment, which is hard to prevent. At the least, a warrant should be required to access the databases, data should be kept local only, and be held for the minimum time possible (e.g. one day). Though in a country that truly prioritizes freedom, this should be banned. HF 2161 is a good start on at least regulating it, which should move forward and be built upon.