Since the surveillance camera hearing in Chandler, Arizona last week, I’ve been paying close attention to how these meetings are framed.
The Daily Independent described the crowd this way: “The Party of Socialism and Liberation and dozens of #ChandlerAZ residents...”
One West Valley city council member dismissed opponents as the “Defund the Police” crowd.
But what I saw was something very different.
I saw women and mothers who want safe communities… but not at the expense of their children being tracked by AI surveillance cameras at schools, parks, and public spaces.
And it’s not just happening in Chandler. After watching hundreds of hours of similar meetings across America, I’m seeing the same pattern emerge again and again.
In communities large and small — including Paonia, Colorado — residents, especially women, are asking why these AI camera systems are being installed with little public notice or debate.
In this report, we hear from concerned women across Arizona, including voices from Chandler, Flagstaff, Sedona, and Sierra Vista.
Watch the Full Report:
In the United States, a range of AI-enabled surveillance technologies are used across industries and agencies, and this report is not intended to single out any one manufacturer or company over another.
At a public hearing over whether Chandler, Arizona should renew its contract with Flock Safety, Councilmember Christine Ellis suggested many of the speakers opposing the AI surveillance system were not from Chandler.
Mayor Kevin Hartke then required every speaker to publicly state their name and where they were from before addressing the council.
This video is a brief collage of 41 speakers who appeared at that hearing.
The overwhelming majority either live in Chandler, work in Chandler, or argued that a citywide AI surveillance network logging license plates impacts drivers far beyond city limits.
The city council voted to delay the contract renewal issue until July 16, 2026.
