From:Michael Harrington
To:Kristie Ramos, CMC
Subject:Non Agenda Public Comment 9/3/2026
Date:Wednesday, September 2, 2026 3:55:07 PM
Attachments:Public Comment .pages
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Attached document
Mike Harrington
WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT
Rancho Mirage City Council — September 3, 2026
Re: Flock ALPR Expenditure — Effectiveness, Accuracy
and Safeguards
In February 2026, the Rancho Mirage City Council voted
to spend approximately $70,000 per year on Flock
automatic license plate reader cameras. Before continuing to invest substantial public funds in this technology, I believe residents are entitled to know both its
demonstrated benefits and its risks.
How many arrests, recovered vehicles, solved crimes, or other measurable public-safety results have Rancho
Mirage’s Flock cameras actually produced? What
standards does the City use to determine whether this
expenditure is effective? And what safeguards exist
against false identification when information from license plate readers is combined with other databases?
These questions have become very real to me.
I recently received a letter from the California Highway Patrol accusing me of a misdemeanor involving a 2024
BMW registered in Colorado. CHP stated that the vehicle had been observed in California and accused me of
registering the vehicle in Colorado to avoid California registration requirements.
I have never owned this BMW, never driven it, and have
no connection to it.
After receiving the accusation, I contacted the Colorado Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles,
Motor Vehicle Investigations Unit. Colorado confirmed
that the BMW is registered to a Colorado resident who
happens to share my name. The actual owner has a
different date of birth, a Colorado driver’s license, and Colorado residency.
Based upon the information presently available to me, an automated license-plate observation appears to have
played a role in the CHP matter, followed by some form
of investigation or database process that resulted in me being identified. I am seeking records to determine
precisely what occurred, including what license plate
reader system was involved, what databases were
searched, and how CHP associated me with a vehicle I
have never owned. I have also filed a complaint with CHP Internal Affairs.
Meanwhile, there have been several recent break-ins or
attempted break-ins involving my home and my Jeep.
Despite the proliferation of Flock cameras in my
neighborhood and surrounding streets, none of those
incidents has resulted in an arrest.
This raises legitimate questions about both effectiveness and risk. We should not evaluate this technology simply
by the number of cameras installed or license plates
photographed. Residents should know what measurable
public-safety results the City’s $70,000 annual
expenditure is producing and what happens when
information generated by these systems contributes to the identification of the wrong person.
I therefore ask the City to publicly report the measurable results produced by its Flock system, including arrests, recovered vehicles, and crimes solved or materially
assisted. I also ask the City to explain who may access Rancho Mirage ALPR data, which outside agencies may
access or receive it, whether searches are logged and
audited, how long information is retained, and what
identity-verification safeguards exist before information is used for criminal enforcement.
I have attached a hypothetical illustration showing how a license plate observation followed by an incorrect identity match could potentially result in an innocent person being accused of a crime. The illustration is hypothetical. The precise process that resulted in CHP wrongly associating me with the Colorado BMW is something I am still
seeking to determine.
Before Rancho Mirage continues spending substantial
public funds on this technology, residents should be able to evaluate both sides of the equation: What measurable public-safety benefit are we receiving, and what
protections are in place when the information generated by these systems contributes to a serious mistake?
Michael Harrington
Rancho Mirage, California
Attachment A — Hypothetical Illustration of a Potential ALPR/Database Misidentification
•
BOB SMITH (FROM MOHTANA)
DOB: 05/14/1992
MONTANA DRIVER LICENSE
MONTANA RESIDENT
OWNER OF VEHICLE
4. SYSTEM INCORRECTLY IDENTIFIES
LOCAL BOS SMITH AS THE PERSON
RESPONSIBLE
.1 BOBSMITH
DOB: 08/12/1960
PALM SPRINGS, CA
ALLEGED VIOLATION
IDENTIFIED AS
OWNER OF OIJT
OF-STATE VEHICLE
(INCORRECT)
REGISTERING VEHICLE OL T OF STATE
TO AVOID CALIFORNIA FEES
(CVC 52OO(a))