Chicopee

Axis automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) and Video Surveillance cameras are present in large numbers in Chicopee, along with PTZ, Bullet, and Multisensor panoramic cameras.

A Real-Time Information Center funnels all of this surveillance and Fusus AI-assisted software feeds upon it, creating what The Shoestring has aptly described as a Surveillance State.

Multiple devices surveilling an intersection in Chicopee
Surveillance devices at the Front Street – Grove Street intersection in Chicopee.

In the News

The Shoestring:

Western Mass News / WGGB:

    Axis ALPRs in Chicopee

    The DeFlock.org map below shows crowdsourced locations of known ALPRs in Chicopee.

     

    Real-Time Information Center

    All of this surveillance ends up at a Real-Time Information Center created by Chicopee Police as described in Axis marketing materials: https://www.axis.com/customer-story/chicopee-real-time-info-center.

    Requesting public records 

    Make a public records request and email it to us when you receive a response. This can be done anonymously.

    Items to request:

    • Contracts, memoranda of understanding, and agreements with Axis
    • Invoices, purchase orders, and financial records related to camera acquisition, installation, and maintenance
    • Documents identifying the locations and number of ALPR and surveillance cameras installed
    • Policies, guidelines, or standard operating procedures regarding the use of ALPRs, cameras, and data
    • Records of data retention, access logs, and sharing agreements with other agencies
    • Usage statistics, reports, or audits related to surveillance technology

    Request in electronic format when possible. If any portion is withheld, request that they cite the specific statutory exemption.

    If they indicate that items don’t exist, appeal the request as this is a common tactic to obstruct public records request.

    Chicopee - Public Records Request

    Take Action

    Join us to promote legislation to ban these unconstitutional platforms. And from a harm reduction standpoint, implement legislation to minimize the scope, amount, and duration during which data is stored.

    Spread the word

    Meet and discuss with your neighbors to increase awareness.

    Adapt your talking points. Don’t start off from a political angle. Identify a reason you think it may concern them – be it concerns of sharing with ICE, constitutional rights violation, the ever expanding power of tech companies over the lives of private citizens, or police spying on their exes.

    Contact your local elected officials

    Contact Mayor John L. Vieau

    The Mayor is the chief executive of the City of Chicopee, exercising the executive administration of the city government through his office and through departments and boards under his supervision, in accordance with the City Charter.

    Contact the City Council

    As the legislative body of the city the City Council’s goal is to maintain fiscal stability and provide the necessary ordinances for the good of the city and its residents.

    Email, call, or write them to express your desire to remove Automated License Plate Readers and surveillance technology from Chicopee. Be polite, and share personal reasons as to why you think this is important. Push for policies that ban or restrict ALPRs and surveillance technologies. Remember, they are your elected officials and they work for you.

    Chicopee City Council information
    City Councilors as of November 2026:
    Councilors-at-Large:
    Frank N. Laflamme (President)
    Jessica Avery
    Joel McAuliffe
    Gerard Roy
    Ward Councilors:
    Ward 1: Abigail Arriaga
    Ward 2: Shane D. Brooks
    Ward 3: Susan Goff
    Ward 4: George A. Balakier
    Ward 5: Joseph Pasternak, III
    Ward 6: Samuel Shumsky (Vice President)
    Ward 7: Bill Courchesne
    Ward 8: Doug Girouard
    Ward 9: Mary Beth Pniak-Costello

     

    Map missing ALPRs

    Find an ALPR not on DeFlock.org’s map? Add it!

    Follow instructions here. Not tech savvy? Contact us below. Please take a picture and take note of where the camera was located and we will help you submit.

    Speak to your MA House Rep about Bill H.3755

    Massachusetts House Bill 3755 is by no means a panacea, but at least some legislators are interested in reigning in the data retention and privacy aspects. Find your House Representative here and contact them about the bill but indicate you are seeking a total ban.

     

    The ACLU also has a tool to automatically email your representatives in support of this bill.

    Contact us

    chicopee at eyesoffma dot com