Photo: WBZ NewsRadio Archive
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Cambridge city councilors are reviewing police technology that has the potential to be used by federal immigration agents.
License plate readers use cameras to scan license plates and then alert police when a stolen vehicle or known suspect vehicle enters a community.
The plate readers were approved of last February by city councilors but have not yet been implemented.
However, the data collected by these cameras have left some residents concerned that they might be used by the Trump Administration in their mass deportation efforts.
In a recent council meeting, Cambridge residents had the chance to express these concerns.
“The Illinois Secretary of State just announced that Flock violated state law by secretly sharing license plate data with federal border patrol agents,” said Siobhan McDonough.
Flock Safety is the country’s largest license plate reader company. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said last month that the company was allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to access its data that was collected throughout the state of Illinois.
“We see raids today on communities across Massachusetts, we’ve seen how they’ve occupied LA, DC, Chicago and how they’re threating the same in Boston,” said one resident.
“All of this is enabled by the military and surveillance contractors who arm them, equip them and spy on our communities,” they continued.
Cambridge city councilors have agreed to review the deal they approved for the technology.
“It is a tragic reality that we are at this point only at the beginning of the ramp up of deportation efforts, and it’s important that we all continue to speak out against these policies,” said City Manager Yi-An Huang.
WBZ NewsRadio has reached out to Cambridge Police for comment.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.