Note: The online Request to Speak window has expired.
The online Comment window has expired
Agenda Item
3 26-0189 Subject: OPD Community Safety Camera System, And FLOCK Safety Contract
From: Oakland Police Department
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution (1) Approving The Oakland Police Department Surveillance Use Policy "DGO I-32.1 - Community Safety Camera System" And The Acquisition Of Security Cameras And Related Technology; (2) Awarding A Two Year Agreement To Flock Safety For Acquisition Of Automated License Plate Reader And Pan Tilt Zoom Cameras, Operating System Technology, And Related Services At A Cost Not To Exceed Two-Million Two-Hundred Fifty-Two Thousand Five-Hundred Dollars ($2,252,500); And (3) Waiving The Competitive Multiple-Step Solicitation Process Required For The Acquisition Of Information Technology Systems And Waiving The Local And Small Local Business Enterprise Program Requirements
Surveillance systems like these cameras do not prevent crime. Public statistics rarely show any deterrent effect or increase in clearance rate when the cameras are installed. Worse, police departments can’t seem to resist using them in "off label" ways like collaboration with ICE. Cities like Baltimore show us that the way to reduce crime is to focus on the community, not giving police fancy equipment or funding (https://nul.org/news/baltimore-success-story-mayor-scotts-community-based-approach-achieves-historic-drop-violent).
The cameras are not worth the money and the risks are too high.
Flock login credentials are for sale on the dark web. Pushing a button a certain number of times allow anyone into the Flock access point and its data. Flock's assertions that 1) it only records license plates 2) it does not store data more than 7 days appear to be untrue- researchers found images saved from when the cameras were being assembled in the factory. Furthermore, *Flock cameras have been used for ICE overreach. Oakland taxpayer money should not be used for leasing an extremely flawed private system of surveillance that has not even proved that its data is collected or stored in the way its own contract states. Flock is expensive, it is not secure, and it is not even clear that surveillance prevents crimes or improves the clearance rate. This company's major concern is making money, not public safety.
*"Flock audit logs obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request showed that Denver's Flock data was searched on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials over 1,400 times in the year beginning June 2024. The immigration searches were carried out by both local and out of state departments."
My neighborhood has spiraled in crime. My household and every single one of my 5 close neighbors has been hit recently with crime, one or more (!) times - including car theft (one neighbor - twice in past 12 months), motorcycle theft (from their locked garage in middle of night!), home break-in and robbery, and car jacking at gunpoint (my household). Every single night crooks prowl and monitor my quiet street - we can see them! We must use modern technology - like so many other cities and countries - to deter crime. The criminals are certainly using technology, and why should the potential victims of Oakland not do so? My neighbor across the street (in addition to having a treasured car stolen soon after they moved in a few years ago) a few months ago was a victim of home invasion and theft. The thieves had installed a tracking device in their car, so that they would know when they had left the house, and the "coast was clear"!! And, they are using devices to unlock cars for theft, without setting off car-alarms.
Oakland has deteriorated almost to the point of no return. We must be strong in our response - which must include surveillance technology.
Please VOTE YES to keep LPRs in Oakland and support OPD access to Flock technology so our investment in community safety continues to make a real difference.
Please vote against the Flock camera usage policy and funding allocation.
A damning video report was just released today detailing intensely concerning data security issues related to the Flock camera system, and calling into question claims made about their effectiveness at reducing crime.
I highly encourage all members of the committee to watch this video in full to help inform their decision on this item:
Technology like Flock helps our police do more with fewer officers. It multiplies resources without adding force. Every other Bay Area city uses similar systems — Oakland shouldn’t be the only one to turn off a proven safety tool. These cameras are not surveillance cameras; they are license plate readers. These cameras have helped identify suspects in burglaries, car break-ins and other crimes, and OPD access has been an important part of that success. Removing that access would take away OPD’s ability to make our neighborhoods safer. I want to keep a working system that helps solve crimes and protect residents
Oakland should remove all Flock cameras and end participation in Flock’s nationwide surveillance database, not expand it! Flock sells our data for profit, uses stolen data, and lies to local governments to cover its failures and abuses. Austin, TX had one of the strictest ALPR usage policies in the country, and they still ended their contract after Flock failed to meet their standards. Feds have routinely gained access to ALPR data despite sanctuary policies all over the country. The proposed oversight/enforcement mechanisms depend upon self-reported information. The OPD rep told the PAC that Oakland could cancel the contract if Flock informs the City that it violated of the sanctuary city policy. Why would Flock volunteer that information? Individual LEOs can and do run illegal searches on behalf of other jurisdictions. How naive does OPD think we are? Flock also boasts about Nova integrating information from predatory “people search” data broker sites, identifying people’s personal information, relationships/community networks etc, all from a single license plate scan. This is exactly what the ban on facial recognition technology is supposed to prevent. AI surveillance technology is developing faster than even the most well-thought-out procedures and regulations (which these are not) can accommodate, and critical data breaches are the norm, not the exception. Do NOT sacrifice your constituents’ privacy, safety, and tax dollars for a ticking time bomb of abuses.
Flock should not be used in Oakland.
Surveillance systems like these cameras do not prevent crime. Public statistics rarely show any deterrent effect or increase in clearance rate when the cameras are installed. Worse, police departments can’t seem to resist using them in "off label" ways like collaboration with ICE. Cities like Baltimore show us that the way to reduce crime is to focus on the community, not giving police fancy equipment or funding (https://nul.org/news/baltimore-success-story-mayor-scotts-community-based-approach-achieves-historic-drop-violent).
The cameras are not worth the money and the risks are too high.
Flock login credentials are for sale on the dark web. Pushing a button a certain number of times allow anyone into the Flock access point and its data. Flock's assertions that 1) it only records license plates 2) it does not store data more than 7 days appear to be untrue- researchers found images saved from when the cameras were being assembled in the factory. Furthermore, *Flock cameras have been used for ICE overreach. Oakland taxpayer money should not be used for leasing an extremely flawed private system of surveillance that has not even proved that its data is collected or stored in the way its own contract states. Flock is expensive, it is not secure, and it is not even clear that surveillance prevents crimes or improves the clearance rate. This company's major concern is making money, not public safety.
*"Flock audit logs obtained through a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request showed that Denver's Flock data was searched on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials over 1,400 times in the year beginning June 2024. The immigration searches were carried out by both local and out of state departments."
Read More: https://www.slashgear.com/1990582/illinois-city-orders-law-breaking-flock-license-plate-cameras-removed/
My neighborhood has spiraled in crime. My household and every single one of my 5 close neighbors has been hit recently with crime, one or more (!) times - including car theft (one neighbor - twice in past 12 months), motorcycle theft (from their locked garage in middle of night!), home break-in and robbery, and car jacking at gunpoint (my household). Every single night crooks prowl and monitor my quiet street - we can see them! We must use modern technology - like so many other cities and countries - to deter crime. The criminals are certainly using technology, and why should the potential victims of Oakland not do so? My neighbor across the street (in addition to having a treasured car stolen soon after they moved in a few years ago) a few months ago was a victim of home invasion and theft. The thieves had installed a tracking device in their car, so that they would know when they had left the house, and the "coast was clear"!! And, they are using devices to unlock cars for theft, without setting off car-alarms.
Oakland has deteriorated almost to the point of no return. We must be strong in our response - which must include surveillance technology.
Please VOTE YES to keep LPRs in Oakland and support OPD access to Flock technology so our investment in community safety continues to make a real difference.
Please vote against the Flock camera usage policy and funding allocation.
A damning video report was just released today detailing intensely concerning data security issues related to the Flock camera system, and calling into question claims made about their effectiveness at reducing crime.
I highly encourage all members of the committee to watch this video in full to help inform their decision on this item:
https://youtu.be/uB0gr7Fh6lY?si=SSUkyCtiZTrTbmfO
Technology like Flock helps our police do more with fewer officers. It multiplies resources without adding force. Every other Bay Area city uses similar systems — Oakland shouldn’t be the only one to turn off a proven safety tool. These cameras are not surveillance cameras; they are license plate readers. These cameras have helped identify suspects in burglaries, car break-ins and other crimes, and OPD access has been an important part of that success. Removing that access would take away OPD’s ability to make our neighborhoods safer. I want to keep a working system that helps solve crimes and protect residents
Oakland should remove all Flock cameras and end participation in Flock’s nationwide surveillance database, not expand it! Flock sells our data for profit, uses stolen data, and lies to local governments to cover its failures and abuses. Austin, TX had one of the strictest ALPR usage policies in the country, and they still ended their contract after Flock failed to meet their standards. Feds have routinely gained access to ALPR data despite sanctuary policies all over the country. The proposed oversight/enforcement mechanisms depend upon self-reported information. The OPD rep told the PAC that Oakland could cancel the contract if Flock informs the City that it violated of the sanctuary city policy. Why would Flock volunteer that information? Individual LEOs can and do run illegal searches on behalf of other jurisdictions. How naive does OPD think we are? Flock also boasts about Nova integrating information from predatory “people search” data broker sites, identifying people’s personal information, relationships/community networks etc, all from a single license plate scan. This is exactly what the ban on facial recognition technology is supposed to prevent. AI surveillance technology is developing faster than even the most well-thought-out procedures and regulations (which these are not) can accommodate, and critical data breaches are the norm, not the exception. Do NOT sacrifice your constituents’ privacy, safety, and tax dollars for a ticking time bomb of abuses.