The Yakima City Council held a study session on January 13, 2026, from 5:01 p.m. to 8:37 p.m. The meeting covered a wide range of topics including a resolution to expand the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (no action taken), an update on the Yakima County 5-Year Homeless Strategic Plan, a presentation on Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras (no action), approval of proposed Parks, Recreation & Tahoma Cemetery fees, adoption of a resolution on state legislative priorities (6-1 vote), and appointments to boards, commissions, and committees. Extensive public comment was heard on ALPR cameras, trolley support, and other issues.
Good evening. I called this uh regular meeting of the city council to session or uh study session. Uh roll call, please. Bird? Here. Brown. Here. My ears. Present. Glenn? Here. Gonzalez. Here. Patrick's here. Roy. Here. All right. Next up is uh public comment. Tonight we've allowed uh fifteen minutes for public comment. If you would like to make public comment to counsel, please come and fill out a form in the back and bring it up to the clerk. Tonight we do have quite a bit of public comment forms in here. So counsel, once we hit our time, I will uh ask if we would like to extend it. Uh, or we can keep moving along in the agenda. But uh so first up is uh Tessie Coscart. I mess up your name, I am so sorry. Good evening, council. I come before you today as a concerned citizen speaking up on behalf of my fellow citizens who hold concern over the implementation and increased usage of flock cameras. Traditionally, a flocked is an active congregation. In today's world, flock is the title of a well-known leader in ALPRs named after their true product, humanities flocks, or rather our data. ALPRs are automated license plate readers are AI-powered cameras that capture and analyze images of all passing vehicles. These often-hitting cameras track and store in their database your car's location, the date and time, the make and model of your vehicle, as well as the color and identifying features like bumper stickers, dents, and roof racks. This data is collected, stored, and turned into searchable data points. Flock safety and presenters here today will tell you that 10% of reported crime in the U.S. is being solved using this technology. Both the Journal of Experimental Criminology and the Independent Institute have found in their studies that less than 0.3% of hits or vehicle activity equate to stolen vehicle recovery. Any low-grade hacker now has the ability to track our vehicle and location at any given time. The Fourth Amendment states the following the right to the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue. But upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. Flock cameras create a legal loophole for law enforcement agencies. This data is stored and collected, whether or not you are convicted or suspected of a crime. These cameras allow tracking of civilians without a warrant, without probable cause, and with no oversight. We as Americans recognize that this is a violation of our Fourth Amendment rights. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Yes. Next is Vanessa Guzman. And please, when you come up, please give your name and the city that you reside in. Going once. Vanessa.