The Sedona City Council has paused a program that uses automated cameras to collect the license plate numbers and vehicle data from cars in the city.
The decision came after a strong public backlash.
Sedona installed 11 cameras owned and operated by Flock Safety two months ago.
But during a special session last week, some council members said they were concerned over data privacy, and whether information would be used by federal law enforcement agencies.
Derek Pfaff sits on the council.
“The response from the public has been overwhelmingly negative, you know, and it’s pretty rare that we see something that, for different reasons, the people on the left agree with the people on the right," Pfaff said during the meeting.
The cameras collect license plate numbers and other vehicle information, like the models, color, potential damage and even bumper stickers.
Artificial intelligence tracks the data and can add it to a national database.
Police say the cameras are invaluable in solving otherwise challenging crimes such as hit-and-runs, human trafficking and stolen vehicles.
It's already in use elsewhere and has generated controversy in several other northern Arizona cities.
The Flagstaff council approved the use of Flock cameras without discussion in June of last year, while Payson’s council unanimously approved a similar grant-funded effort in March.
