LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a decisive bipartisan vote Thursday, Louisville Metro Council rejected a proposal to make public the locations of the city's license plate reader cameras, choosing instead to shield the records from residents despite ongoing debate over surveillance and privacy.

The council voted 20-4 to defeat an ordinance that would have required the city to publish a map of its Flock Safety camera locations. Only four Democrats — Metro Council Member J.P. Lyninger of District 6, Jennifer Chappell of District 15, Shameka Parrish-Wright of District 3, and Betsy Ruhe of District 21 — supported the measure. Council Member Tammy Hawkins voted present and did not take a side.

Lyninger cited Lexington's practice of posting camera locations online, arguing that Louisville residents deserve the same transparency. "Lexington has not suffered massive deleterious effects to their local government, to their ability to investigate crime, to apprehend people," he said. "I think that people in Louisville can likewise be trusted with this information."

Louisville Metro Police Department officials maintain that revealing camera locations would compromise public safety by helping criminals avoid detection and making the devices vulnerable to vandalism. The city operates more than 200 Flock cameras, which read license plates and collect vehicle data to aid investigations.

The vote reflects months of controversy surrounding the technology. KyCIR investigations have documented potential racial bias in license plate reader deployments and misuse of the technology, including a DEA agent using an LMPD officer's password to conduct immigration-related searches.

Metro Council Member Andrew Owen, a District 9 Democrat who voted against the transparency measure, said he was "prioritizing public safety over the public's right to know." Republican Council Member Anthony Piagentini of District 19 acknowledged appreciating Lyninger's intent but called publishing camera locations "a huge mistake," arguing that cameras are visible on poles and that government has legal latitude to withhold enforcement information.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman previously sided with LMPD in February, determining the city could withhold camera location records, finding that disclosure would be unduly burdensome given relocation costs ranging from $500 to $1,000 per camera.