The ordinance follows the city’s August decision to end its contract with camera vendor Flock Safety and disable the network. Mayor Corey Woods said at the time that, although the cameras had helped police, the potential for misuse outweighed their benefits and threatened public trust.

City audits found no misuse of Tempe’s system, but officials cited concerns about improper use elsewhere. A number of Arizona and Valley communities—including Surprise, Chandler, Pinal County, Sierra Vista, South Tucson, Flagstaff and Sedona—have also ended Flock contracts or announced plans to do so.

The new rules allow Tempe to obtain license-plate reader information through a search warrant, subpoena or court order. The city may also receive data from courts, defendants, members of the public, private companies or other government agencies when it relates to a specific investigation, as long as Tempe officials did not request or direct the original search. Officers on regional task forces or multi-agency investigations may review data lawfully obtained by another agency under the same condition.

The ordinance does not prohibit non-law-enforcement uses, such as parking management, if residents’ location and personal information are not shared with private parties or placed in searchable databases. Existing data must be deleted unless it is needed as evidence in a criminal case or legally required to be retained. City employees who violate the rules could face discipline, including termination.

The decision sets a local limit on a technology that can record where vehicles travel, while preserving defined routes for investigators to use information collected independently. The council’s vote came as municipalities across Arizona reconsider how such data is gathered, stored and shared.