I am a longtime resident of Oakland and I strongly oppose the city signing ANY contract or deal with Flock or any similar companies. In a city with so many budget shortfalls and children living in poverty, it seems only the police get new toys these days. A sick joke and a waste of taxpayer resources. Mass surveillance does not reduce crime, it only hinders our rights. Flock is a particularly evil company that ICE happily utilizes to terrorize our communities as well. The city's Privacy Commission has already spoken against this.... Even the ACLU has raised massive concerns about it. I also wish to second a comment that council members who have taken money from Empower Oakland should recuse themselves.

I am a resident and home owner in downtown Oakland and I strongly oppose this contract with FLOCK and urge the council to reject it. This is a massive invasion to all of our privacy and directly harms those who are being targeted by ICE and the current administration.

My name is Sarah Fathallah. I am a resident of Oakland, and I strongly urge the Public Safety Committee NOT to recommend approving a $2.25 million acquisition of ALPRs, Pan-Tilt Cameras, and other surveillance systems.

Oakland is proud to be a Sanctuary City, but our reliance on mass surveillance systems like ALPRs, Flock cameras, and Flock's data-sharing operating system undermines that commitment. These technologies collect data which the federal government can seize, exposing vulnerable community members. The Privacy Advisory Commission clearly voiced this concern when it rejected FlockOS in a 4-2 vote, highlighting the risks of these surveillance systems, and the inability to put the right safeguards to ensure our safety, once the systems are already in place.

Instead of investing in surveillance, we should prioritize proven, community-centered solutions to enhance public safety. For the same $2.25 million, Oakland could fund initiatives like improved lighting in business districts and residential neighborhoods, expand the work of safety ambassadors (already proving effective downtown), and support violence prevention and mental health crisis response programs.

To the person claiming we should not be concerned with hypothetical harms associated with surveillance technology: these concerns are not hypothetical. Flock has shared data with ICE, the US Navy, and secret service despite “strict use policies”. I disagree that this is outweighed by the potential benefits of surveillance technology showing who stole your car.

Bringing policing and surveillance into the private sphere is terrifying to me. With the increased criminalization of many humans (migrants, transgender people, people seeking abortion) I really don’t trust how the government will continue to invade our privacy for the sake of disappearing people. Flock has been shown to reactivate cameras even after terminating a contract (for example in Evanston, Illinois) which shows how setting up a system like this can wind up out of the city’s control if other forces wish for it. Please do not set up this surveillance technology! Please do not make surveilling your residents normal!

My name is Lindsey Swanson, I am a resident of Oakland and I strongly encourage the council to reject the contract with FLOCK. This contract would be a clear violation of our residents' privacy as well as a move in opposition to California and Oakland's position as a sanctuary city and state. The sanctuary status of our community has been voted on and upheld by our community and should dictate your decision! Have we learned nothing from 1984? This is some Big Brother sh*t that will be used against our neighbors, community, and anyone who opposes this Federal administration. We have evidence that FLOCK is already sharing their data with ICE. It is incredibly unethical to use tax payer dollars to assist in the abduction and abuse of those that our police department should be protecting.

Furthermore, that $2.2 million could be better used to assist the folks in Oakland that are struggling with food insecurity and mounting healthcare costs. Walk around Oakland, look on Nextdoor, talk to the volunteers at food banks - our neighbors people need our help not our surveillance!

Flock has a history of violating the law, providing surveillance data to ICE, and many cities aorund the country have already pushed for the company's technology to be removed. As a resident of District 1, I strongly oppose the presence of Flock cameras in Oakland

I am a longtime Oakland resident and I oppose the use of Flock and anything relating to or aiding ICE in any way. It is morally wrong and this country was founded by immigrants. Gate keeping this country is typical wealthy elite behavior.

We don't need more FLOCK cameras, they're an invasion of privacy and an increase in the surveillance state when the powers that be keep crossing lines. Our information shouldn't be in a database for the police to hand over to people like ICE. This camera's put our immigrant neighbors at risk. OPD has already shared FLOCK info with ICE. We do not want or need more FLOCK cameras. Don't add more, get rid of the ones that exist, they endanger our community.

As a home owner in Oakland, I strongly oppose our city contracting with Flock. Flock tracks all license plates it sees, including INNOCENT people, whose privacy would be violated simply by having a vehicle on our streets. This is a massive invasion of privacy for people who are accused of no wrongdoing, with no warrants and no oversight! If I didn't already live here, this would deter me from moving here, and should we go forward, would contribute to considerations about moving elsewhere. There are also specific problems with this company's trustworthiness and their connection to harmful actions from our current government, but even if we set all of that aside, the basic fact is that it is setting us up to automate the destruction of privacy for thousands of people who abide by the law and are just going about their daily lives, and that is unacceptable. I strongly urge the council to oppose any connection or contract with Flock.

I am an Oakland resident and I strongly oppose the purchasing of surveillance software that aligns itself with ICE. It is morally reprehensible and in opposition to Oaklands position as a sanctuary city.

It is on the wrong side of history. As elected representatives what sort of party do you wish to be putsched into.

I am a resident of Oakland and I strongly call on the council to reject any contract with Flock. Not only is it a horrendous attack on the privacy of all residents of Oakland, it also flies in the face of Oakland claiming to be a sanctuary city when Flock has been seen time and time again sharing data with ICE to aid in their mass kidnapping campaign. As other commenters have already said, we - the residents of Oakland - would be infinitely better served by investing this money in education, housing, etc that actually promote safety in our community.

Flock Safety has proven itself an untrustworthy company with no credibility. Flock CEO admitted using 50 million stolen data points and being "willing to lie" about it-even sharing clients' ALPR data with ICE and federal agencies despite promises to the contrary. Even with California's SB 34 law prohibiting ALPR sharing with federal agencies, seven federal agencies accessed Oakland's data in July 2025.

1. FlockOS is a mass surveillance system FlockOS connects ALPRs, Ring doorbells, business cameras, drones into one nationwide tracking network with 20 billion monthly scans, turning entire cities into 24/7 tracking zones.
Approving this contract means Oakland data will flow into a massive searchable database accessible to over 5,000 agencies nationwide-including ICE and the Trump administration— without any warrant requirement, individualized suspicion, or oversight.

2. FlockOS threatens our sanctuary status/immigrant communities.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump administration have made clear their willingness to use force to get this information. Even if Oakland tries to protect the data, Flock and other state agencies have already been caught sharing it, directly or indirectly, with ICE.

I am a resident of Oakland, CA and I am writing in strong opposition to collaborating with Flock. 1) Flock is-profit surveillance company with a history of selling data, violating privacy, and collaborating with ICE. (see: https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/flock-roundup)
2) This surveillance contract is a waste of money that does not make communities safer. This money could be used fund community programs that actually address people’s basic needs (housing, childcare, health access, education).
3) I do not want this surveillance technology in my community.
Supporting a contract with Flock would be unconscionable.

Flock has shown willingness to work with ICE, and if this is a sanctuary city, the decision should be obvious. This money could go to a number of places and make a bigger and better difference than more surveillance could ever bring.

Already very good arguments in the previous opposing comments. I second the comment that the councilmembers who received money from Empower Oakland should recuse themselves. I also want to remind us all that the Privacy Advisory Commission recently voted in opposition to this contract with Flock. If we are truly a sanctuary city and our local government intends to stand up to ICE as they've said, this is an obvious decision.

I’m a voter and homeowner in Oakland, and my neighborhood has invested in Flock cameras with our own money because we care about safety. These Flock LPRs have helped stop and solve crimes, but that only works if OPD can access the data. My neighborhood is spiraling with crime - every single neighbor of mine has been hit with home break-ins, auto and bike theft, car-jacking at gunpoint. Every night the crooks roam our streets - we can see them. Removing Oakland’s LPRs and taking that access away would make our investment meaningless and make our streets less safe. VOTE YES for the FLOCK CONTRACT!

Regarding Item 5 on flock cameras: I strongly oppose this surveillance technology in my community. We’d be better served by redirecting money from the cops into housing, childcare, and other real community resources that help keep down crime.

Hello, I'm Derek, an Oakland resident. I strongly urge the council to reject the invasion of privacy, security, and dignity that the Flock system represents. These cameras don't bring more safety to our community. This level of surveillance cannot be recovered from, and paves the way for further erosion of the dignity in public spheres.

There was a 2019 report from the Auditor of the State of California that outlines concerns for individuals’ privacy arising from using ALPRs - this report can be found here: https://information.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2019-118/introduction.html - "data from the Los Angeles system show that at the time of our review only 400,000 (0.1 percent) of the 320 million images [generated a hit alert]... In 2016 the Associated Press conducted a review that found more than 325 instances between 2013 and 2015 in which law enforcement officers who misused databases were fired, suspended, or resigned... For example, a police sergeant in Ohio who pleaded guilty to stalking his ex‑girlfriend after he searched law enforcement databases for personal information about her and also the woman’s mother, her close male friends, and students from a course she taught."

Not only is this putting our personal information in the hands of a company that only seeks to establish us as data points for sale, it's putting Oaklander's hard earned money towards a solution that does not actually resolve the problem.

Please oppose this bill. Thank you.

This use of Oakland's funding for the nation's descent into authoritarianism is completely unacceptable, and against everything Oakland stands for. There is no real reason for this increase in surveillance, especially considering the continual drop in crime reports. It is obvious with the building of cop-city, the increase in invasive surveillance, and the introduction of ICE in the bay, that the government is using us as a testing ground for martial law. Approving the FLOCK contract is setting up every Oakland and bar area resident for violent police interventions, unlawful abductions and kidnappings, and unregulated work camps without due process.

I don't know how to explain to you why allowing the modern equivalent of the SS access to police surveillance systems is evil. It's bad enough that we had to forcibly snuff out OPD's literal torture gang so many years ago, the very least you can do is stop doing this if you want to convince people you aren't the exact same department they were then. What are we even doing here.