Utah lawmakers requested a bill Wednesday, Sept. 16, to tighten rules on automated license plate readers. The move followed findings that nearly 97% of searches in one county's database came from out-of-state agencies.

The proposal carries direct implications for Park City and Summit County, where more than a dozen Motorola plate readers sit at intersections including Kimball Junction, Pinebrook and along State Routes 224 and 248.

Sen. Cal Musselman, chair of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee, said during the Sept. 16 meeting that the state isn't debating whether to allow the cameras. "We recognize the value for law enforcement purposes," the West Haven Republican said, as Utah News Dispatch reported via TownLift. "We can also recognize there's some legitimate concerns on privacy."

The bill file came after the Utah Civic Compact found that almost 97% of searches in Weber County's Flock camera database were run by law enforcement agencies outside Utah. State law limits those searches to active criminal investigations, outstanding warrants, missing persons or stolen vehicles.

Gov. Spencer Cox said Aug. 20 he was "deeply troubled" by the findings and asked the Utah Privacy Governing Board and the Utah Privacy Commission to review all regulations on the cameras statewide.

The local footprint is substantial. The Summit County Sheriff's Office operates between eight and 12 fixed cameras across the county, plus mobile readers on patrol vehicles. Park City Police runs a separate but compatible Motorola Vigilant system. Both agencies told TownLift in May they do not monitor or oversee access to plate-reader data by authorized outside agencies.

A Motorola data-sharing report for Park City Police, dated May 27, lists ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Border Patrol among agencies with access, TownLift reported in July. The Sheriff's Office sharing report lists the same federal agencies.

Summit County signed a $55,000 sole-source contract with Flock Group Inc. on Sept. 16, 2025, for Flock Nova, a platform that lets personnel search multiple data sources in one place. Neither the plate-reader program nor the Flock contract went to a County Council vote or public hearing.

Summit County Councilor Canice Harte wrote to TownLift in July that the data-sharing issue was never presented to the council as a policy question. He said he was unaware of any public outreach or council discussion on the matter.

At the Sept. 16 committee hearing, Christopher Bramwell, Utah's chief privacy officer, said the Privacy Governing Board is working to separate what law enforcement is actually doing from what the technology is capable of. He noted that plate readers are also used outside law enforcement, including in higher education and at the Utah Inland Port Authority.

The Utah Law Enforcement Legislative Committee (ULELC), representing police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors, said in a written statement to the committee that it supports additional safeguards. Those include prohibitions on personal or retaliatory use, external audits and a requirement that states seeking Utah plate data comply with Utah law.

The bill is expected to go before the Legislature during the 2027 session, which begins in January.