Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 unrated
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Surprise suspended its ALPR camera program after an audit found a potential policy violation.
- A Surprise police officer was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
- The suspension and leave will remain in place until the investigation is complete.
Where they differ
- AZFamily includes Chief Evan Becher’s full statement on public trust and future safeguards; 12News does not quote him at all.
- AZFamily places the story in context, linking it to similar ALPR misuse cases in Apache Junction, Goodyear, Chandler, and data-sharing changes in Tempe, all within the same week; 12News reports only the Surprise incident in isolation.
- AZFamily notes it is unconfirmed whether Surprise’s cameras are made by Flock Safety, a detail 12News omits entirely.
The City of Surprise, Arizona, has suspended its automated license plate reader (ALPR) program and placed a police officer on administrative leave after an internal audit flagged a possible violation of the department’s ALPR policy. Surprise Police Chief Evan Becher said the department halted the program immediately, opened an investigation, and will keep the officer on leave until it concludes.
What prompted the suspension?
An audit of the department’s license plate reader system turned up what officials described as a potential irregularity or misuse involving the technology. That finding led Surprise police to pull an officer from duty pending an internal investigation and to stop using the ALPR cameras altogether while the review plays out. The department has not detailed exactly what the officer is accused of doing.
What has Surprise police said about it?
Chief Becher framed the decision as an effort to protect public trust. He said the department takes the matter “very seriously,” which is why it moved quickly to halt the program, investigate, and disclose the issue to the community rather than wait. Becher also credited the technology with helping solve serious crimes over the roughly two years Surprise has used it, and said the department wants to add stronger safeguards — measures that can both flag and prevent misuse — before turning the cameras back on.
Is this connected to Flock Safety cameras used elsewhere?
It’s unclear. AZFamily reported that it has not been confirmed whether Surprise’s readers are made by Flock Safety, the vendor at the center of a string of similar controversies elsewhere in the Phoenix area this week. Surprise’s announcement is the third Arizona case in a single week involving alleged misuse of license plate reader technology by police personnel, following incidents in Apache Junction and Goodyear, plus related moves in Tempe and Chandler.
How does this compare to other recent Arizona cases?
In Apache Junction, an officer resigned after an internal probe found he’d used the Flock system for a personal purpose — tracking his wife. In Goodyear, an officer is under investigation for suspected misuse of the same type of technology. Chandler shut down its camera use last week after learning an employee may have misused its Flock system. Tempe police, separately, stopped sharing camera data after residents raised privacy concerns tied to reports of misuse in other cities. Surprise’s case adds to that pattern, though its officer has been placed on leave rather than resigning, and the city has not said whether its cameras are Flock-branded.
What happens next?
The officer stays on administrative leave until Surprise completes its internal investigation into the suspected policy violation. The ALPR program itself remains paused; Surprise has said it intends to bring the cameras back into use, but only after adding stronger controls meant to catch and stop misuse before it happens. No timeline has been given for either the investigation’s conclusion or the program’s restart.
How are the two reports different?
AZFamily’s account is far more detailed, including the chief’s full statement, background on how long Surprise has used the cameras, and a rundown tying the case to the other Arizona departments’ recent ALPR controversies. 12News Phoenix offers only the bare confirmation that an officer was placed on leave over a possible ALPR policy violation, without the chief’s remarks or the regional context.
Why this matters
License plate reader systems, widely deployed by police departments including through vendors like Flock Safety, capture vehicle location data that can be used to solve crimes but also raise concerns about surveillance and abuse when accessed for non-law-enforcement purposes, such as tracking a personal contact. The cluster of cases across Surprise, Apache Junction, Goodyear, Chandler, and Tempe within the same week has put a spotlight on how Phoenix-area police departments oversee access to this technology and what safeguards, if any, are in place to prevent officers from using it for personal reasons rather than public safety.
Sources
Featured photo: Venske via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)