Government
Austin to halt license plate reader program The Austin Police Department’s use of hundreds of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, will end in June following community opposition against the data collection initiative. What happened City Council was scheduled to vote on June 5 to indefinitely continue an ALPR program. However, public pushback this month led City Manager T.C. Broadnax to withdraw the item to more closely vet the program and community concerns. An APD spokesperson said the department supports the move to allow for more review and public engagement. After city officials suspended the use of ALPRs in 2020, the technology returned under a one-year pilot program with council-imposed guidelines related to privacy and data-sharing with outside law enforcement agencies. It started last March and was
Austin Energy GM search continues
Millions of license plate scans led to dozens of arrests under a city pilot program. Austin automated license plate reader program results
License plate scans
The recruitment process for the next gen- eral manager of Austin Energy is underway ahead of the formal retirement of current head Bob Kahn later this month. What’s happening Kahn, a longtime power industry member and previous AE executive, notified city offi- cials of his intent to step down in late March. His retirement will be effective June 30, just over two years after he was appointed to the role. He was earning a $494,000 salary this fiscal year. For now, former deputy General Manager Stuart Reilly is serving as interim GM. On June 5, City Council voted to move for- ward with a $110,000 recruitment contract with utility industry search firm Mycoff Fry Partners LLC.
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37,697,936
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23,623,874
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13,790,311
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SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
temporarily extended this spring, and a city audit of program results was released in May. APD Chief Lisa Davis said ALPRs were key to solving dozens of criminal cases since early 2024. Opponents on the council dais and in the commu- nity have said the cameras represent surveillance overreach and unwanted data-sharing.
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