Iowa
Iowa City’s plate reading technology approved in parking ramps. What to know:
![Iowa City’s plate reading technology approved in parking ramps. What to know: Iowa City’s plate reading technology approved in parking ramps. What to know:](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/06/03/PIOC/73952947007-20240602-parkingstructures-1.jpg?auto=webp&crop=5116,2878,x0,y336&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Iowa City’s parking department can use automated license plate technology in city ramps and on certain city parking enforcement vehicles. They are also allowed to use traffic cameras “primarily for traffic engineering and study.”
The ordinance was passed and adopted into Iowa City code by a narrow 4-3 vote by the Iowa City City Council on Tuesday, August 20. Councilors Andrew Dunn, Laura Bergus, and Mazahir Salih voted “no.”
The ‘no’ votes came despite the council unanimously adopting Dunn’s changes prior to the final reading and vote to the surprise of some councilmembers.
More: Iowa City moves closer to using automated license plate cameras in parking ramps
Cameras meant to save time, city says
City staff said the new code will increase efficiency and save time for both the city’s Parking Division and the community. The recently installed cameras are equipped with plate reading capabilities in three of the city’s ramps. The two ungated ramps at Chauncey Swan and Harrison have the tech available, as does the gated Capitol Street Ramp. Those cameras have not yet been activated.
Staff members said the cameras would improve efficiency around the entrance and exit of the city’s gated ramps. Associate Director of Transportation Mark Rummel estimated the technology will save the division an hour of manpower per ramp per day.
Rummel said the cameras will also discourage customers who park in a ramp for several days and then choose the ‘lost ticket’ option open at the exit gate. Likewise, the camera tech will help drivers who actually misplace their tickets.
Drivers with city parking permits would also no longer need a physical “hang tag” that is issued annually.
Traffic cameras are OK
The city’s “traffic engineering” cameras—or “intersection cameras”— are now code-exempt as well.
The city uses intersection cameras to investigate damaged or malfunctioning traffic signals.
The council held lengthy discussions about Flock cameras recently as they built the Fiscal 2025 budget, ultimately deciding not to buy them. Flock is an automated license plate reader that some police departments, including the University of Iowa PD, have used.
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City can’t store license plate data for common use
A previous council had instated protections against the use of automated plate readers and automated traffic surveillance systems and necessitated this change.
The recent change carved out legal definitions for the use of the traffic-related automated systems. It restricts the city from storing, selling or aggregating data from the automated plate cameras and automated traffic systems “unless the data directly pertains to a qualified traffic law violation or other criminal law violation for which a ticket, citation, or arrest was issued.”
Councilors voted unanimously in favor of these amendments.
On plate cameras, the ordinance will now read:
“Automatic license plate recognition systems or devices installed in City parking ramps or on City Parking Department vehicles, primarily used for parking enforcement, are not included in this definition.”
On traffic camera technology, the ordinance reads:
“Specific Streets and Traffic Engineering Division cameras installed at intersections with traffic signals or roundabouts, used primarily for traffic engineering and study, shall not be included in this definition.”
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Council did not want to completely restrict police from accessing cameras
The language in the amended city code still allows police to access the parking cameras during investigations, consistent with department policy.
Previous discussions considered limitations to the police department’s power to use these cameras in relevant investigations. For example, some of the off-the-cuff amended language proposed by Dunn at the last meeting had unintentionally created exclusions for police by limiting camera usage “exclusively” to the Parking Division.
This could have then stopped police from using the parking and traffic cameras to help investigate a sexual assault where they had little other details to work with, for example, City Manager Geoff Fruin said at a previous meeting. The council seemed hesitant to limit police use in all cases.
Councilor Shawn Harmsen also noted on Tuesday that police could have used the cameras to help locate a missing person “out of concern for their health and safety” during a recent investigation.
He wanted to ensure that the code did not restrict police and still allowed investigators to use the litany of city cameras to find or investigate a person’s whereabouts in a similar situation.
City Attorney Eric Goers said that would be allowed in the altered code.
Councilor Dunn wanted the city to find a balance between stopping the omnipresent use by city departments and allowing other relevant uses, like a police investigation where little other evidence is available.
“The really big thing that I wanted to avoid was excluding entire camera systems,” Dunn said. “This excludes cameras used for a specific purpose in a specific way, but it does not exclude every camera that is operated by the traffic services department. I believe that, functionally, it has the same effect as was desired by staff.”
Goers said the amendment did not amount to a “substantive change” of the previously twice-passed ordinance after some additional late modifications by Dunn. A substantive change would have required the council to consider the code change three times again and adhere to Dunn’s initial language.
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Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
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Iowa
Chenue Her, known for being country’s first Hmong anchorman, is leaving Local 5 News
![Chenue Her, known for being country’s first Hmong anchorman, is leaving Local 5 News Chenue Her, known for being country’s first Hmong anchorman, is leaving Local 5 News](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/09/20/PDEM/5da6a151-8839-4da7-a9c2-f2277ed6208e-09202022-Chenue_Her-MMK0026.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4666,2625,x0,y237&format=pjpg&width=1200)
America’s first Hmong anchorman is saying goodbye to his seat on Local 5’s “Good Morning Iowa.” Chenue Her, a St. Paul, Minnesota native, is wrapping up three years in Iowa on Aug. 30.
Why is Chenue Her leaving ‘Good Morning Iowa’?
Her said his decision to leave Local 5 was not one he took lightly.
“My station, my news director, they were very patient with me as I went back and forth, just deciding what I wanted to do next,” Her said.
At the end of the day, Her said he decided to pursue other TV news opportunities.
More: New anchor joins WOI’s ‘Good Morning Iowa’ this week
Iowa was an experience unlike anything other, for first Hmong anchorman
Her said his experience in Iowa has been unlike anything he’s experienced. From the kindness he’s received from strangers to the impactful stories he’s been able to tell. His favorite stories to cover have been those following the AAPI refugee and immigrant community, he said.
“Outside of stories, just being able to work alongside some people that have really taught me a lot about Iowa and what Iowans are all about,” Her said. “It’s been great. I’ve been really just blessed in that sense.”
Chenue Her’s departure is the latest staff change at Local 5’s ‘Good Morning Iowa’
Her will depart just two weeks after a new co-anchor, Joseph Holloway, joined the show. His previous co-anchor, Samantha Mesa, left the station in May. The show’s meteorologist, Brandon Lawrence, left in March and joined DART as a communications specialist.
Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.
Iowa
DNC 2024: Iowa Democrats say room for unity in party amid pro-Palestine protests at DNC
![DNC 2024: Iowa Democrats say room for unity in party amid pro-Palestine protests at DNC DNC 2024: Iowa Democrats say room for unity in party amid pro-Palestine protests at DNC](https://gray-kcrg-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4WBH35UZWJFVPJKZIKMLNRDD7Y.jpg?auth=dc637157427392210f8dc751b096392b35ed0352d6aac7d4ecb01fa250cc1429&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – More security fences have been set up around the Democratic National Convention due to some pro-Palestine protestors breaking through a fence as the DNC kicked off Monday.
Tuesday night, a protest is planned outside of the Israeli Consulate in Chicago.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart says the protests walked right past their hotel.
Amid flaring tensions in Chicago outside of the DNC, Hart says the only way the party will get to a better place is if they keep the conversation going. “We are a big tent party. That we are willing to take on the tough issues and we’re willing to talk to people who don’t always agree with us within our own party and from the other side,” she said.
State Senator Janice Weiner of Iowa City says there’s room in the party for a discussion. “We’re also not like single issue people. We are capable than holding more than one idea, one thought, one disagreement in our heads,” she said.
Weiner says the path to a solution to the divisions in the party is to keep the conversation going. “We deal with that by both by acknowledging it, by welcoming everyone in, by having the tough conversations, and by understanding that we’re not going to solve everything right now,” Weiner said.
Cornell College Political Science Professor Megan Goldberg says these protests might work. “There’s a lot of evidence that protests can be effective ways of pushing a candidate further along sort of the your policy continuum towards what you want,” she said.
Goldberg says the Democratic Party hasn’t been subject to many protests recently. In recent years, we’ve seen protests by Democrats against former President Donald Trump, but not by Democrats protesting their own party. She says that this might present a challenge for the Democratic party on how to navigate these protests.
Goldberg adds that at some point, Harris will likely have to confront the issue directly.
—
Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Phil Parker has ‘good idea’ of Iowa’s starting cornerbacks, but ‘things change every day’
Iowa defensive coordinator reluctant to name starting cornerbacks with more than a week before start of 2024 season
IOWA CITY — Phil Parker has a “good idea” of who his starting cornerbacks will be in 2024.
But with 11 days to go until the Hawkeyes’ season opener, the Iowa defensive coordinator (and 2023 Broyles Award recipient) was reluctant Tuesday to name who specifically those starters will be.
“I got a list of guys and rank them, but things change every day with us throughout the practice,” Parker said.
Jermari Harris seems to be the likely answer at one of the spots as he approaches his sixth season of college football. He started 12 of Iowa’s 14 games last year, and Parker said he has been “taking a lot” of first-team reps in fall camp.
With another first-team cornerback spot up for grabs, the Hawkeyes’ options include T.J. Hall, John Nestor and Deshaun Lee.
Parker has been “seeing T.J. Hall grow and improve his standard of play.” Nestor is “really doing a good job, very competitive out there.” Lee, meanwhile, is “doing a heck of a job.”
“It’s really interesting to see those four over there,” Parker said. “One day, one guy might have a better day than the other guy. It’s depending on what day and what the point of attack, how productive are they?”
Lee started six games in 2023 — first in place of Harris during his two-game suspension and later in place of Cooper DeJean after his injury. Hall primarily played on special teams in six games before suffering an injury. Nestor played 10 games as a true freshman, also with the bulk of those snaps happening on special teams.
Iowa has not always been keen on rotating defensive backs. Iowa’s Week 6 win over Purdue last year, for example, featured only five players who took snaps in the secondary, according to Pro Football Focus’ snap counts. But its current depth at cornerback could create some options there.
“You can see maybe playing more guys in the back end, if you have to,” Parker said.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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