Lori Matthews is a member of the Flagstaff City Council in Arizona. She spent more than 35 years in the financial industry, including work as a commercial lender, founded the transitional housing nonprofit ANEW Living and served as interim executive director of Flagstaff Shelter Services.
Case
Networked automated license-plate cameras can assemble searchable records of vehicle movements. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to ban the systems, keep them with limits, or defend them as investigative tools. This tracker separates outright bans from narrower restrictions.
Role at the time: Flagstaff City Council member running for reelection
Statement summary
Flagstaff City Council member Lori Matthews said she supports automatic license plate reader technology in theory but would not support its use in Flagstaff until security measures and safeguards are fully in place.
“In theory, I support the technology behind automatic license plate readers and believe it could provide a significant benefit to law enforcement in Flagstaff by helping solve crimes more quickly and efficiently. However, I do not believe the necessary security measures and safeguards are fully in place yet, so I would not support the use of this technology at this time.”
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Matthews wrote that she supports the technology in theory and sees a benefit for police, but would not support its use now because safeguards are not in place. Her support depends on an unmet condition, so Mixed or conditional fits.
Statement dates: August 16, 2026
Statement dates: August 16, 2026
Statement dates: August 16, 2026
Statement dates: August 16, 2026
