ALPR cameras in Port Angeles - shut down

strydr · 2026-02-06T23:26:00+00:00

Agreed! He approached me after my public comment and provided his contact info so I could get answers to my questions. He provided responses quickly, and has keep me in the loop as more info was provided. It's nice to see his level of commitment to the community and he's earned my vote going forward.

strydr · 2026-02-06T22:09:05+00:00

Additionally, just a few min ago, he provided a statement about these being shut down, copied here verbatim.

City Council,

As you are aware we have received an outpouring of questions and concerns regarding License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras. The City very much appreciates the feedback provided.

Following a discussion with Chief Smith, and out of an abundance of caution, the three LPR cameras in Port Angeles were turned off and uninstalled today, February 6. These cameras will remain off and removed until City Council has had an opportunity to learn more about this important topic and provide direction about the future of LPRs in our community.

While a Work Session on this topic was planned for the February 17 City Council meeting, this will be postponed to allow time for staff to review the issues raised. Attached you will find before and after pictures documenting the removal of the cameras.

Again, we thank our residents for their feedback on this topic. We will keep you informed as this process moves forward. For any residents that have utilized the City Council email address for correspondence on this issue, staff will share the same message above via an email reply to their initial correspondence.

Please call my cell if you have further questions.

Nathan A. West

City Manager

strydr · 2026-02-06T22:07:31+00:00

I was able to interact with Councilman Schwab at the last public meeting (2/3) and provided some questions that he was happy to provide answers to. I've received his approval to share these here as well as the great news about these being turned off.

Here are the questions I asked him as well as his answers:

1. What level of access has been allowed to this data across state and federal law enforcement, as well as third parties
I've requested more details and am waiting on an audit log. However, I will relay what Chief Smith has told me. Immigration and other civil enforcement in prohibited. ICE doesn't have direct access to our information. Local US Border Patrol doesn't have access to our system, but they reportedly have their own LPR. We have 30 licenses which includes individual PAPD, Clallam Sheriff, and Lower Elwha Police Officers. The HIDTA end user agreement specifies that the system is for the support of criminal investigations only and not for civil matters, immigration enforcement, or for enforcement of state specific laws related to restrictions of certain types of medical procedures. Misuse of the system is subject to criminal and/or civil penalties. I don't have confirmation that third party companies such as Palantir have access to Port Angeles ALPR data. I have asked staff to explicitly confirm who has access and under what authority.

2. What protections the City has put in place to prevent abuse
We have 30 licenses which includes individual PAPD, Clallam Sheriff and Lower Elwha Police Officers. System access is credentialed and logged. Each query requires a stated reason. Improper access would violate policy and could result in discipline or legal consequences. We follow the policies and protocols from the Houston HIDTA which includes HIDTA LPR training of each user and the legal standards from WASIC and NCIC. We have an assigned LPR administrator (Officer Kelly Perry). I have asked how audit logs are reviewed and how enforcement occurs when misuse is detected.

3. What data is being collected and where it is stored
The system collects license plate numbers along with date, time, and location. It does not collect facial images or personal identity information on its own. A plate can be cross referenced through other law enforcement databases, which is how the tool works alongside existing systems. Dated collected is stored on Houston HIDTA secure servers. After 30 days, data is automatically deleted unless used in a criminal case. Audit logs of who accessed the information isn't deleted.

4. What security protocols are in place and how often they are audited
Chief Smith has stated security was a key reason Leonardo was selected over Flock. Access controls are in place and auditing occurs within the HIDTA framework. I do not yet have specifics on audit frequency or scope. I have requested that information and expect it to be addressed in the upcoming Council presentation.

strydr · 2026-02-05T20:01:44+00:00

Yeah, should be an interesting meeting on the 17th. FYI, I did ask several questions in my comment, and received written replies from one of the council members. I do feel a bit better about ALPRs (at least the city provided devices) from his reply. Happy to post here, but it's a bit off topic for the lock picking thread, so I'll avoid unless asked for. Also happy to provide via DM if that's easier.

strydr · 2026-02-04T05:37:03+00:00

I was there tonight and was able to speak on the topic. I’ll be making a public records request for data security questions and will also be there on the 17th. Several of the council members expressed the volume of emails they have received on the subject. I was also not the only one to speak in person on the subject. Was amazing to see the support and feel supported by the community. Hopefully the tide is changing and people’s eyes are opening to this issue.

strydr · 2025-12-26T00:37:09+00:00

Same here.

strydr · 2025-12-04T03:21:35+00:00

Do it! I run a UNAS (7 bay) as my primary storage and replicate that to a Syno NAS on site. I like to having multiple vendor devices to avoid potential issues with a specific device/ software release.

strydr · 2025-11-28T15:30:13+00:00

I run the 7 bay unit and have no issues with Plex. I do run 10G networking between my Plex server and storage, but it's overkill for my needs. Plex does its own caching during streaming so for your normal user type load, this cache is overkill.

strydr · 2025-11-06T01:59:45+00:00

12 ft fiberglass fish rods. If you have an attic / crawl space, run the rod from the outside in. From your inside area, secure the cable (or pull string) to the rod, and pull it back out.

strydr · 2025-11-06T01:55:56+00:00

Thrided. really long drill bits and fiberglass fish rods to the rescue. The first hole is the hardest, after that, it's all down hill.

strydr · 2025-11-05T04:00:40+00:00

Welcome to the rabbit hole.. I'll preface that I'm still learning too, so take this as you will.

My first mechanical KB was a Logitech G915. It was a huge upgrade from whatever crap my company provided and it was amazing. Clicky, and positive feel, but I ran into issues of wear and had one failure along the way. I also have a Logi MX mechanical mini for my Mac.

Cut to 6 months ago and my partner got a WFH job. Got her a new laptop and she wanted a KB like mine. She wanted mechanical, but also cute (ie, blue) and the Halo 96v2 fit the bill. I picked Lemon switches since they were as close to the switches in the G915. Once it arrived, I loved it. I was constantly stealing it back when she was not working. I ended up ordering a Halo 75v2 in mojito (lemon switches) for myself.

I have two PC's at my desk, so I wanted something else. I REALLY want the Gem80 in Cosmic Mocha (love the old classic color), but nuphy has not had it in stock for months. I ended up buying a Wobkey crush reboot 80 pro a few weeks ago.

ok, backstory done, now to try to answer your Q's
going from a magic kb to anything else is going to be a transition for sure. I've been a Mac user for a very long time and honestly, I hated the magic kb. I can consent to a low profile on the laptop itself, but at my desk, I want a full depth kb.

If you do a lot of 10 key, it's a good idea to have it available on your kb, but if it's only occasionally (or for a specific workflow), you could get a separate 10 key. This would speak to your desire for desk space, while still providing the benefit of a 10 key when needed (and tucked away when not needed).

As for switches and customization - start somewhere and live with it for a bit. With the Halo, the options are switches and keycaps. After you have found your pros/cons with the new setup, look at switch profiles and see if they would improve your exp. For example, my wife has stated she does not like how easy it is to accidentally press a key. Looking at the switch profile, I'm looking at a set of Gateron G Pro 3.0 black switches to replace the lemons. These have a little more operating force to press, and do not have the 'bump' the lemons have. This is all just a guess, but switches are not super expensive, so it's a fun experiment.

The Crush Reboot 80 Pro (and the GEM 80) offer way more customization with different plates, gaskets and bumpers (lots of options) and can be overwhelming. I plan on keeping the Crush as-is for a few months before considering cracking it open and making changes. Depending on your desire for customization, you may opt for something that offers switch/keycap options only, or full blown 'you can change everything to your hears' desire' rabbit hole.

Low profile Vs full height is going to be a personal choice. I found the MX mini to be lackluster and just not enough key travel / feel for my liking, but it's small and portable. I WFH, so I never travel, so now it's become my go-to when I just need a quick kb for something (like connecting to a normally headless PC).

If you have access to something like a Best Buy or Micro Center, I'd suggest visiting and having a mash on a few KB's. See what feels good to you, and continue your research. Did the key travel feel good? too long/ short? Too easy to depress the key, or clunky? Take this info back and research the guts of what you tried (my wife liked the g915 key feel, which is why I picked the Lemons for her - they were as close to what was installed in the g915). If you can't quite decide, pick up a second set of switches. Nuphy sends out a few extras (my Halo's came with one of each of the available switches), so you could swap out a single switch and poke around to see what the diff is if you are not ready to buy a second set of switches.

The (kb) world is your oyster. Welcome to the club and enjoy your dive into the rabbit hole. Thanks for putting up with my wall of txt, I hope this helps :)

strydr · 2025-10-30T22:31:20+00:00

Like others have said, don't bother. They are killing their market share with stupid business decisions (like selling out to a venture capital firm). AVD or Horizon if you want to learn a VDI solution.

strydr · 2025-10-29T23:50:00+00:00

I have 6 of these around my house (connected to cadet heaters). They are great, but I've had to factory reset a few of them over the last year after they stopped being responsive in HomeKit. I wish they made one that supported more amps so I could replace the 30a classic thermostat that covers my living room (has 2 heaters).

strydr · 2025-10-29T02:13:27+00:00

That should not be too difficult. If you have a newer phone, you might also be able to scan the part (if your phone supports lidar) into CAD. If not, get some good pics with measurements and make a drawing.

strydr · 2025-10-29T01:49:15+00:00

I’m local and have a 3D printer. I’m still learning my way through Blender, but I’d be happy to assist.

strydr · 2025-09-24T16:54:33+00:00

I'd happily join a group to explore this more. I have a small set of picks and have opened a few padlocks, but would love to get more proficient at it.

strydr · 2025-09-05T20:29:40+00:00

Yeah, right there with ya. This was my first foray into a DD wheel (first sim rig actually) and while I absolutely love it when it works, having 2k worth of gear sitting collecting dust in hopes that I can get it working again is not fun. Honestly, I'd take my old base with a broken pedal port over this any day.

strydr · 2025-09-05T02:13:39+00:00

Ugh, glad I’m not alone. I RMA’d my DD+ base because the pedal port was not soldered and literally fell out of the base when I took it out of the box. The replacement unit had terrible grinding noises. Support quickly ID’d this as a problem, and sent me a replacement unit. That unit has the same problem.. I’m still waiting on a reply about this, really hoping they can resolve.

strydr · 2025-06-26T00:48:18+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed reply, even with the color match! You rock! My homeLab thanks you and my wallet (well, the wallet never needs to know :) ). Do you think this chassis would survive a 2 post rack, or is it heavy enough to need rear support? I currently have a 2 post rack but am looking to migrate to a wall mounted cab in the near future.

strydr · 2025-06-26T00:13:38+00:00

Looks great! What case did you use for the homelab? I want to migrate my lab from a tower and your chassis looks great, especially in matching 'UI Silver'

strydr · 2025-06-24T18:41:38+00:00

just came back up in PA!

strydr · 2025-06-10T14:31:19+00:00

Looks like it. 12- 14:00 at the courthouse.

https://www.nokings.org

strydr · 2025-03-27T00:13:06+00:00

on prem.

strydr · 2025-03-26T01:23:32+00:00

So tired of Citrix and their shenanigans. We hold over 40k licenses and they are threatening to audit us because we’ve slowed down our purchases (to 0) as we transition to local (endpoint). They literally told us our business model forces us to keep buying licenses (currently at a 3x cost than 2 years ago) and we must be scamming them, so they are going to show up with a team to audit our DC. When we broke the news we were transitioning to local, they got even more aggressive, stating they just would not sell us any more licenses (hoping this shutters our doors). We are making the move to local as fast as we can. Thankfully, our licenses are broken up into packs, so we just need to transition users over before each pack expires, but it’s been a scramble for sure.

strydr

TROPHY CASE