The Kalamazoo City Commission postponed a vote on requiring its own approval for police surveillance technology contracts, sending the item back for revision.
At issue is an amendment to the city’s purchasing policy. Currently, most city contracts under a specific amount can be signed administratively by the purchasing agent or city manager without commission approval. Following a motion at the commission’s August 17 meeting, City Attorney Aaron Leal drafted language requiring commission approval specifically for contracts involving automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, regardless of dollar amount.
At the September 8 meeting, several commissioners argued the language should go further. Discussions included that the requirement explicitly cover not just new ALPR contracts but also renewals, extensions, amendments, and successor vendors. A broader concern was raised that license plate readers aren’t the only surveillance tools in use. Examples raised during the discussion included video cameras, mobile security trailers, surveillance drones, and gunshot-detection systems that can attach to license plate readers, and the question was asked whether the policy should use a broader term like “law enforcement surveillance technology” to cover advancing technology rather than naming ALPRs specifically.Another commissioner drew a comparison to how the city’s data center ordinance was broadened over time to also cover crypto mining and battery storage, and asked whether a similar approach made sense here.
Commissioners were split on how to proceed. Some favored adopting the ALPR-specific language that night and adding broader surveillance categories later; others argued against approving what they described as an incomplete policy under time pressure that didn’t exist. After debate over competing amendments, the commission voted 6-1 to postpone the item to its September 21 meeting, giving City Attorney Leal time to draft broader language for consideration.
No surveillance technology purchasing policy is currently in place beyond existing administrative approval limits. The commission is expected to take up a revised version of the policy at its next meeting.
