Watertown Resident Urges City Council to Address ALPR Privacy Concerns and Statewide License Plate Reader Network

Steve Jurrens
Aug 17
2 min read

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - A Watertown resident urged the City Council on Monday night to address privacy and data security concerns regarding local law enforcement’s use of automatic license plate readers (ALPR).

Speaking during the open forum portion of the meeting, resident James Simmons asked city officials to clarify how local license plate data is stored and whether Watertown plans to participate in a newly expanding statewide ALPR network.

Simmons expressed confidence in Police Chief Tim Toomey and the local police department, but raised alarms over third-party data management. Watertown Police currently utilize ALPR technology provided by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon.

“My concern primarily resides with what happens to the data that these cameras collect once it goes off to the third-party company,” Simmons said. “All the data captured by these cameras go to Scottsdale. They have possession of it... and there’s nothing we can do to prevent that.”

The comments follow recent statewide attention surrounding license plate surveillance. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley recently announced plans to introduce state legislation establishing safeguards against ALPR data misuse and setting mandatory deletion timelines. Meanwhile, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has been working to roll out an expanded statewide ALPR system. Simmons noted that municipal leaders in Aberdeen recently declined participation in the state program following overwhelming local opposition.

Simmons posed several direct questions for city leadership:

· Program Involvement: Has Watertown been formally approached to join the state DCI network?

· Data Privacy: Who retains access to vehicle tracking data once it leaves Coddington County?

· System Expansion: Would joining the state initiative involve installing additional camera units across the community?

To address the community’s questions, Simmons requested that Mayor Holien, Chief Toomey, city administrators, and Coddington County commissioners hold a joint public town hall alongside residents, noting similar forums scheduled in Brookings and Sioux Falls.

“Let’s all get together in a room, invite the public, and let’s just have an open civil conversation about it,” Simmons said. “Let’s see where we all sit and if it’s right for the community or not.”

Mayor Holien closed the open forum following the remarks. City Council members took no formal action, as council rules prohibit voting on items raised during open public comment.