Policy Order O-8

WHEREAS: It has recently come to the attention of the Cambridge City Council that license plate reading equipment was recently installed on some Cambridge Police Department vehicles; and

WHEREAS: The City Manager did not inform the City Council about the aforementioned installations; and

WHEREAS: Past installation of similar security equipment without Council notice has proven problematic; and

WHEREAS: License Plate readers reflect a significant shift in public safety capabilities and pose specific data collection and management challenges; now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct Police Commissioner to ensure that no license plate readers become operational for any reason whatsoever, including testing and training, until after the Cambridge Police Department has formulated and publicly posted a policy on their use and management of relevant data; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council as to the purpose of the aforementioned readers, how the data will be collected and management, what logistical arrangements resulted in the Cambridge Police Department's obtaining and installing the readers, and what other new, non-standard surveillance equipment has been received by the Cambridge Police Department.