LOCAL NEWS

DATE NIGHT SUNDAY AT Urbano Bar & Bistro Sierra Vista AZ. Get ready for an unforgettable culinary adventure as our Date Night Travels take you on a journey to France, where every meal is rich, flavorful, and full of balance.

Trip Details:

-Destination: Provence, France
-Dates: Sunday January 25, 2026
-Departures: 5pm and 6pm
-Price: $50 per person

App: Goat Cheese Lavender Honey Tartlet

Entree: Herb-Roasted Chicken Supreme

Dessert: Panna Cotta

Date night drinks:

French 75 - Gin, Lemon, Prossecco

Flying Frenchman - Absenthe, Espresso, Coffee Liquor

Lavender Lemon Fizz - Lavender, Gin, Lemon, Club Soda

Berry Pineapple Smash (Mocktail) - Triple Berry Puree, Pineapple Juice add vodka

Join us on the last Sunday of every month as we embark on a journey to a different destination each time, exploring the world through its exquisite cuisine. Mark your calendars, gather your loved one, and let's embark on a culinary voyage together!

NOTE: If you are a FREQUENT FLYER there is no need to book online.

Just text the amount of people traveling and your departure hour to 520-559-3182.

Date Night is a set menu with no substitutions. For allergen information, please text us.

See you there! 🌍🍽️✨

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BIG BROTHER OR BIG SAFETY⁉️ The Sierra Vista Police Department has installed 16 license plate recognition cameras across the city to aid in investigating crimes and locating vulnerable individuals. The cameras, which do not use facial recognition, capture images of vehicle license plates and retain them for 30 days. The data is only accessible to law enforcement personnel for valid purposes. Meanwhile, Cochise County leaders have decided not to install Flock Safety cameras they were thinking of using due to concerns about privacy, data retention, and surveillance. Cochise County will instead explore alternative vendors for license plate reader systems that protect privacy concerns better.

Below are two stories written by the Sierra Vista Police, Fire, and EMS followed by Cochise County and the counties decision to have more discussions about how to proceed with these cameras.

The 1st is taken from the SVPD facebook page:

"The Sierra Vista Police Department is excited to further the use of license plate recognition (LPR) in investigating serious crimes, finding vulnerable adults and children, as well as assisting investigators in capturing subjects who pose an immediate threat to the public. LPR technology is not new, as SVPD has utilized the technology in partnership with other law enforcement agencies many times, as well as having owned LPRs installed on City patrol vehicles at various times over the last 15-20 years.
We are committed to transparency and public awareness. As part of that commitment, we are sharing the locations and directions of travel for new stationary City owned Flock cameras in the city. There are 16 cameras in the city limits, each camera faces one direction of travel.

What you should know:
•These cameras do not use facial recognition.
•Images captured are only of the rear of vehicles and license plates.
•Images are retained for 30 days, after which they are automatically deleted, unless they become evidence.
•If images become evidence, they are uploaded into SVPD’s digital evidence storage through Axon, for a retention period based on the type of crime.
•The system does not track vehicles in real time and does not issue citations.
•License plate readers are not used for traffic enforcement.
•SVPD adopted a policy that requires regular audits of the Flock system use by department officers.

How the data is used:
•Access is limited to law enforcement personnel and only for valid law enforcement purposes, such as locating stolen vehicles or assisting with criminal investigations.
•While private corporations may use Flock camera systems, data from the City of Sierra Vista’s system is not shared with commercial entities and is not used for marketing or non-law enforcement purposes.

Locations:
•Fry Blvd/East Highway 90/ Highway 90 Bypass/ Highway 92: 4 cameras; each direction.
•Highway 92 and Buffalo Soldier Trail: 3 cameras; northbound, southbound, and westbound.
•7th Street and Fry Blvd: 4 cameras; each direction
•Highway 90 Bypass/ Charleston Road/ Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd: 2 cameras; eastbound and westbound.
•East Highway 90 and Moson Road: 1 camera; westbound.
•North Highway 90 and Hatfield Street (Van Deman Gate): 2 cameras; northbound and southbound.

The map provided reflects the current, fixed locations of these cameras and is intended to support transparency with our community. The locations are marked with yellow/orange dots.

As always, our goal is to enhance public safety while respecting privacy"

Meanwhile a statement from Cochise County ⬇️

COUNTY LEADERS TO DISCUSS FLOCK SAFETY CAMERAS, CITING PRIVACY AND DATA CONCERNS

Posted on January 21, 2026
Board Chair and District 3 Supervisor Frank Antenori confirmed today in a joint statement with Sheriff Mark Dannels that they will be asking the other County Board members to support their stance that Cochise County will not pursue the installation of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras. Antenori cited concerns about privacy, long-term data retention and the broader implications of surveillance technologies.

While some municipalities and law enforcement agencies across Arizona and the nation are using grant funding to install automated license plate reader systems, Antenori and Dannels have made a deliberate decision not to utilize Flock Safety as the vendor for these systems. County leaders emphasized that the decision reflects local values and priorities.

“Once surveillance infrastructure is in place, it rarely goes away,” Antenori said today. “I have concerns about privacy, mission creep and how data collected today could be used or retained in the future by Flock. I met with the Sheriff’s office leadership to discuss my concerns and together we agreed to assess other vendors in our approach.”

Flock Safety cameras automatically capture images of vehicle license plates and other identifying features and store that data for later search and analysis. While the systems are often promoted as crime-fighting tools, critics have raised questions about oversight, access controls, and how long data is retained.

“Public safety and public trust go hand in hand,” said Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels. “Our office uses investigative tools that are targeted, lawful, and appropriate to specific cases.”

The Board of Supervisors approved a grant from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs in October 2025 that provided $54,000 for Flock cameras. However, the Sheriff will be asking for an amendment to remove the vendor and allow the County to search for other options. The grant amendment with the revised description will then go before the Board of Supervisors for approval.

“This isn’t about being anti-technology or anti-law enforcement,” Antenori said. “It’s about being cautious stewards of both taxpayer dollars and civil liberties. We don’t believe mass data collection should become normalized without very clear limits and accountability.”

Sheriff Dannels emphasized that Cochise County law enforcement agencies will continue to collaborate closely with neighboring jurisdictions and state and federal partners using established investigative methods.

“We respect that other agencies make decisions based on their operational needs,” Dannels said. “Our focus remains on effective policing, strong partnerships and maintaining the confidence of the people we serve.”

Antenori is calling for a Board of Supervisors work session in early February to further discuss his concerns with fellow members Tom Crosby from District 1 and Kathleen Gomez from District 2.

WHAT SAY YOU⁉️

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