Philadelphia City Council calls on state lawmakers to address automated license plate readers

Philadelphia City Council’s second meeting of the fall session – one week after being interrupted by a bomb squad investigation – went off without a hitch on Thursday. 

Aside from the ongoing trash talk about how the city handles its waste, Council approved a resolution calling on state legislators to ban the use of automatic license plate reader cameras, such as Flock cameras, across the commonwealth and to ban or develop strong guardrails for the use of ALPRs. 

Councilmember Rue Landau, who introduced the resolution, has said the emerging technologies are a “huge risk to our civil liberties if (left) unchecked.” 

The license plate debate was raised by several public commenters, most of whom expressed concerns about privacy and equity issues that have arisen regarding Flock cameras – and who’s accessing them – nationwide.  

There are multiple proposals in Harrisburg seeking to combat the issue directly, ranging from the creation of regulatory oversight and safeguards on ALPR to a moratorium or full prohibition on the license-plate reading technology.  

“This technology is widely unregulated, unknown and unencumbered,” Landau said Thursday following the resolution’s unanimous approval. “It’s here, and Harrisburg needs to step up to the plate to control it.”

Tale of two trash plans

City leaders are also grappling with competing waste management plans as the city nears its deadline to renew waste disposal contracts. 

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who’s been at the forefront of the anti-trash incineration faction, has been calling on Philadelphia to rethink its waste management practices for the past year. 

Gauthier’s “Stop Trashing Our Air Act,” introduced in September 2025, has sought to prevent the city from sending waste to Chester – a majority-Black city in nearby Delaware County – for incineration, a move that Gauthier and community members argue is an act of environmental racism. 

Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration has opposed the measure, saying it would limit Philadelphia’s ability to carry out its normal competitive bidding process and select the best-value contractor.

Instead, the Parker administration has worked with Councilmember Mark Squilla, who introduced legislation last week that he said would “modernize” Philadelphia’s solid waste disposal process and more. The legislation, which has been coined the “Zero Waste and Circular Economy Act,” authorizes the administration to “develop a comprehensive, goal-oriented and data-driven plan to reduce and divert municipal solid waste for traditional disposal methods, including landfilling and incineration.” 

Squilla’s bill, introduced last week, is seen as a stopgap solution that would put Philadelphia on the path toward implementing a more environmentally-friendly disposal system. 

But at a rally last week, Gauthier pushed back on the idea that it would take time for Philadelphia to rework its waste management systems: “Any notion that this is something that we can’t move on right now is a lie,” she said.

“I agree with my colleague Councilmember Squilla’s aim of moving the city towards zero waste. I agree with Carlton Williams’ desire to do that, but a plan to make a 20-year plan to do that in no way takes away the need to stop burning our trash right now,” Gauthier told reporters. “We can make the decision to zero out the Reworld contract today and still make a plan to get to zero waste.”

Gauthier was joined by Councilmembers Kendra Brooks, Isaiah Thomas and Landau, all of whom would likely reject a plan to renew Philadelphia’s waste disposal contract with the Reworld incinerator in Chester.  

In July, the Parker administration indicated plans to enter into a new four-year contract for waste processing and disposal with Reworld, as well as two landfill operators, Republic Services and Waste Management. 

However, Council must approve multiyear contracts, and Gauthier, who represents parts of West and Southwest Philadelphia, is trying to get a majority of councilmembers to stand in the way of a contract renewal. 

The Parker administration has yet to introduce its waste management renewal measure, meaning the discussion is bound to drag on throughout the fall. 

When asked about the situation Thursday, Council President Kenyatta Johnson said his office is “still reviewing” options but didn’t give a timetable for potential passage. 

“It should be coming forth at some particular point in time in the future,” Johnson told reporters obfuscatorily.