KEARNS, UT — The Unified Police Department has taken down its automated license plate readers in Kearns after a wave of public backlash. The decision leaves officers without a tool they say was used to help track stolen vehicles and assist in missing-person cases.
Kearns precinct chief Levi Hughes said the removal came after public outcry grew strong enough that people began damaging the equipment. He said the department chose to pull the cameras rather than keep repairing them while the debate over their use continued.
For residents like Maria Hernandez, the cameras represent a safety net that could matter most in an emergency. For police, they were part of a larger system they say they rely on across the country.
Police say vandalism and backlash forced the decision
Hughes said the department did not remove the readers because they stopped working or because officers no longer wanted them. Instead, he pointed to the level of opposition around the cameras and the risk of more damage.
He said the backlash escalated to the point that some people were going out and damaging the readers. That pressure, he said, made it impractical to keep them up for now.
The cameras are part of a broader law-enforcement network used to generate alerts when vehicles linked to crimes or investigations pass by. Hughes said those alerts had become part of day-to-day policing in the area.
Now that the readers are down, he said officers are no longer getting the same stream of hits. “Almost daily” alerts, he said, have stopped.
Officers say the readers helped find stolen cars and missing people
According to the department, the license plate readers were useful well beyond routine traffic monitoring. Hughes said they helped officers locate stolen cars and respond more quickly to missing-person cases.
He described the system as an important aid for finding people and protecting the public. In his view, the cameras were not a luxury but a practical tool that supported a wide range of calls.
“This is a huge loss for us,” Hughes said, stressing that the department had come to rely on the system heavily. He said the technology is used across the country in similar ways.
Without the readers, police lose an automated source of information that can point them toward vehicles connected to active cases. Hughes said that means fewer immediate alerts and less help in the field.
Privacy worries remain part of the argument
The cameras have also raised concerns among residents who worry about surveillance and misuse. Hughes acknowledged that privacy is a major issue for many people and said that concern has shaped the controversy around the devices.
He said the readers photograph a license plate and may capture an image of the car itself, but they do not identify the driver. He added that the technology does not have the kind of zoom capability needed to tell who is behind the wheel.
That explanation has not settled the broader debate. Critics and supporters appear to be weighing different risks: loss of privacy on one side, and loss of a police tool on the other.
The dispute has pushed the readers into the center of a larger local conversation about what kind of monitoring is acceptable when public safety is at stake.
A Kearns mother says the cameras matter in child safety cases
Maria Hernandez, a Kearns resident and mother of seven, said her concerns are focused less on surveillance in the abstract and more on what could happen in a real emergency. She said the readers could make a difference if a child were taken or seriously hurt.
Hernandez said she worries about what police would do without a way to trace a plate tied to a dangerous event. In her view, the cameras could provide a crucial lead when seconds matter.
“If any of those situations became a kidnap, someone got hurt, those cameras become important,” she said. Hernandez argued that losing that tracking ability could leave families with fewer answers.
Her view reflects the tension at the heart of the debate: one side sees a privacy risk, while the other sees a device that can help protect children and speed a response.
Police will wait for lawmakers before deciding whether to reinstall them
For now, the readers will stay down while police wait to see whether lawmakers make any changes that could affect the technology’s use. Hughes said the department is not rushing to put the cameras back in place.
The pause leaves the future of the system uncertain in Kearns. Police have made clear they view the readers as useful, but they are also responding to the public pressure that prompted the removal.
That means the next move may depend less on local enforcement preferences and more on what happens in the Legislature. Hughes said the department wants to see whether new rules or guidance change the calculus.
Until then, officers will continue without a tool they say was generating useful alerts nearly every day. Hernandez, meanwhile, said safety tools still matter even when the debate is uncomfortable.
Statewide discussions keep license plate readers in the spotlight
The Kearns dispute is unfolding as other parts of Utah continue to weigh how license plate readers should be used. In Davis County, commissioners recently approved a memorandum of understanding tied to the technology, underscoring that the issue is still active elsewhere.
That broader backdrop helps explain why the Kearns removal drew attention quickly. The readers are not just a local gadget; they are part of an expanding conversation about policing tools, public trust and the limits of surveillance.
Hughes said the department sees the system as a valuable asset. Residents such as Hernandez say the question is whether the benefits can outweigh the concerns.
For now, Kearns is left without the cameras, and the debate over whether they should return appears headed to lawmakers and local officials alike.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
