Remove license plate surveillance cameras from Albuquerque and Bernalillo County
The Issue
UPDATE:When I posted this a few weeks ago, I honestly wasn't sure how many people would care. You proved me wrong. We've hit 2,900 signatures, and the conversations in the comments have made this campaign sharper and more urgent than when it started. Thank you.
Just a little update on the information uncovered:
The original post focused on license plate readers and our 4th amendment….and that's still the core issue. But alot of your comments have helped uncover something bigger.
APD runs a Real Time Crime Center (RTCC): a 24/7 live surveillance hub that goes far beyond plate readers. The city ran a grant program that paid businesses up to $20,000 to install cameras…. on the condition that those cameras feed live video directly to APD, around the clock. There is no public list of who accepted the grant. There is no map of where those cameras are. APD has never disclosed how long that footage is kept or who can access it.
License plate readers track your car. These cameras track you….your face, who you're with, what you're doing on a public sidewalk. One resident documented nearly a dozen of these grant-model cameras on a single block of 2nd Street between Lead and Coal. This does not qualify as targeted crime response. It's area-wide, persistent, live monitoring of everyday people… with no warrant requirement, no retention limit, and no public oversight.
When community members submitted formal questions to APD through established channels asking about data storage, security patches, and retention policies… APD either refused to answer or responded to a completely different question. Stonewalling public info requests is not transparency. And it's exactly why voluntary compliance isn't enough.
We're looking to work with those that have power to create legislation. We're working to build support for a possible proposal of legislation that would:
Require a warrant before law enforcement searches location data (the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 29, 2026 in Chatrie v. United States that warrantless access to historical location data is unconstitutional)
Cap data retention at 30 days maximum
Mandate independent annual security audits with public results
Require quarterly public reporting on how the systems are being used
This is framed as "SB40 Part 2." SB40 was a step forward: it banned sharing ALPR data for immigration enforcement and reproductive healthcare tracking. But it left the door wide open on warrants, retention, and security. It also exempted ALPR data from public records requests entirely, meaning you can no longer check whether the rules are even being followed. This bill closes those gaps.
Our initial goal remains full removal. This legislation sets the accountability floor while that fight continues.
Please join the 2900+ in dissent by signing and sharing. We need all the support we can get.
ORIGINAL POST: Right now, cameras across Albuquerque are photographing your license plate every time you drive past one.... logging your location, your route, and the time. This happens automatically, without a warrant, without your knowledge, and without your consent.
APD stores that data for 365 days. That means a year-long record of where you drove, when, and how often. You are not a suspect. You were never asked.
This is not a hypothetical risk. Misuse has already happened here. A Bernalillo County Sheriff's deputy was caught misusing the system. His punishment: a written reprimand. No policy changed. No camera came down.
Your data could be shared with agencies outside New Mexico.
A Texas sheriff used plate reader data to track a woman who sought legal reproductive healthcare in another state. New Mexico drivers' data sits in the same kind of system....accessible to out-of-state law enforcement with a simple request.
The technology itself is not secure. In 2025, a critical 9.8 out of 10 security vulnerability was publicly disclosed in the platform APD uses. The city has never publicly confirmed whether it was patched.
And as of July 1, 2026, you can no longer check. New Mexico's SB40 reclassified license plate reader data as a non-public record. You can no longer request your own location history. There is no public oversight committee. There is no audit trail available to residents.
We are not asking for better rules. We are asking for removal.
We call on the Mayor, City Council, and County Commission to:
-Deactivate and remove all ALPR infrastructure operated by APD and BCSO
-Hold a public committee hearing before any future surveillance contract is signed
-Release an independent security audit of all data collected to date
-Restore transparency by allowing residents to request their own location data
Denver did it. Austin did it. Nearly 30 cities across the country have walked back automated license plate surveillance in the last two years. Albuquerque can too ....but only if residents demand it.
Sign this petition and share it with your neighbors.
I would highly recommend looking into the reporting of Benn Jordan with 404 Media. Really enlightening stuff.
https://youtu.be/Pp9MwZkHiMQ?is=2OPv_KpzXfEdiXB2
https://youtu.be/uB0gr7Fh6lY?is=z7XkGlX76f1zLk8r
3,184
The Issue
UPDATE:When I posted this a few weeks ago, I honestly wasn't sure how many people would care. You proved me wrong. We've hit 2,900 signatures, and the conversations in the comments have made this campaign sharper and more urgent than when it started. Thank you.
Just a little update on the information uncovered:
The original post focused on license plate readers and our 4th amendment….and that's still the core issue. But alot of your comments have helped uncover something bigger.
APD runs a Real Time Crime Center (RTCC): a 24/7 live surveillance hub that goes far beyond plate readers. The city ran a grant program that paid businesses up to $20,000 to install cameras…. on the condition that those cameras feed live video directly to APD, around the clock. There is no public list of who accepted the grant. There is no map of where those cameras are. APD has never disclosed how long that footage is kept or who can access it.
License plate readers track your car. These cameras track you….your face, who you're with, what you're doing on a public sidewalk. One resident documented nearly a dozen of these grant-model cameras on a single block of 2nd Street between Lead and Coal. This does not qualify as targeted crime response. It's area-wide, persistent, live monitoring of everyday people… with no warrant requirement, no retention limit, and no public oversight.
When community members submitted formal questions to APD through established channels asking about data storage, security patches, and retention policies… APD either refused to answer or responded to a completely different question. Stonewalling public info requests is not transparency. And it's exactly why voluntary compliance isn't enough.
We're looking to work with those that have power to create legislation. We're working to build support for a possible proposal of legislation that would:
Require a warrant before law enforcement searches location data (the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 29, 2026 in Chatrie v. United States that warrantless access to historical location data is unconstitutional)
Cap data retention at 30 days maximum
Mandate independent annual security audits with public results
Require quarterly public reporting on how the systems are being used
This is framed as "SB40 Part 2." SB40 was a step forward: it banned sharing ALPR data for immigration enforcement and reproductive healthcare tracking. But it left the door wide open on warrants, retention, and security. It also exempted ALPR data from public records requests entirely, meaning you can no longer check whether the rules are even being followed. This bill closes those gaps.
Our initial goal remains full removal. This legislation sets the accountability floor while that fight continues.
Please join the 2900+ in dissent by signing and sharing. We need all the support we can get.
ORIGINAL POST: Right now, cameras across Albuquerque are photographing your license plate every time you drive past one.... logging your location, your route, and the time. This happens automatically, without a warrant, without your knowledge, and without your consent.
APD stores that data for 365 days. That means a year-long record of where you drove, when, and how often. You are not a suspect. You were never asked.
This is not a hypothetical risk. Misuse has already happened here. A Bernalillo County Sheriff's deputy was caught misusing the system. His punishment: a written reprimand. No policy changed. No camera came down.
Your data could be shared with agencies outside New Mexico.
A Texas sheriff used plate reader data to track a woman who sought legal reproductive healthcare in another state. New Mexico drivers' data sits in the same kind of system....accessible to out-of-state law enforcement with a simple request.
The technology itself is not secure. In 2025, a critical 9.8 out of 10 security vulnerability was publicly disclosed in the platform APD uses. The city has never publicly confirmed whether it was patched.
And as of July 1, 2026, you can no longer check. New Mexico's SB40 reclassified license plate reader data as a non-public record. You can no longer request your own location history. There is no public oversight committee. There is no audit trail available to residents.
We are not asking for better rules. We are asking for removal.
We call on the Mayor, City Council, and County Commission to:
-Deactivate and remove all ALPR infrastructure operated by APD and BCSO
-Hold a public committee hearing before any future surveillance contract is signed
-Release an independent security audit of all data collected to date
-Restore transparency by allowing residents to request their own location data
Denver did it. Austin did it. Nearly 30 cities across the country have walked back automated license plate surveillance in the last two years. Albuquerque can too ....but only if residents demand it.
Sign this petition and share it with your neighbors.
I would highly recommend looking into the reporting of Benn Jordan with 404 Media. Really enlightening stuff.
https://youtu.be/Pp9MwZkHiMQ?is=2OPv_KpzXfEdiXB2
https://youtu.be/uB0gr7Fh6lY?is=z7XkGlX76f1zLk8r
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on July 8, 2026