(Radio Iowa) – Coralville leaders have voted to end the city’s contract for automated license plate readers, after months of residents asking for the cameras to be removed. City council members had previously signed a two-year, 36-thousand dollar contract with Flock Safety, which operates the city’s two cameras. Coralville resident Dan Wohlers spoke during a public comment period. “By choosing to move away from the Flock system tonight, you are showing that you’ve truly heard us,” Wohlers says. “Throughout this process, we’ve discussed the complexities of this technology, the concerns over data privacy, the importance of strict policy guardrails and the need for local control over our residents’ information.”

The law enforcement tool is controversial as it uses artificial intelligence to capture images of license plates and models of passing vehicles. Several other Iowa communities are considering renewing their contracts with plate reader vendors or signing new ones. Coralville city council member Huy Huynh says there has been broad community opposition to the city’s contract with Flock Safety. “I can honestly say that in my mailbox, in my text messages, in my conversations with community members, that there has been some support,” Huynh says, “but the number of supporters for Flock: minute, compared to the number that is against it.”

City Administrator Kelly Hayworth says Flock will remove the cameras within days but did not provide specifics. Nearby, city officials in Iowa City ended a temporary right-of-use agreement with the University of Iowa earlier this month that allowed ALPRs operated by the university to be placed on city property. All those cameras have been removed. A recent report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa suggests the use of automatic license plate readers is expanding in Iowa. It found Cedar Rapids has the most cameras in the state at 76, while West Des Moines has 64 cameras, and Clinton County has 58.