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Agenda Item
8 26-0863 Subject: OPD Surveillance Technology 2025 Annual Reports
From: Oakland Police Department
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution: (1) Accepting The 2025 Annual Reports For The Following City Of Oakland Police Department Surveillance Technologies: (A) Automated License Plate Readers; (B) Crime Lab Biometrics DNA Analysis Technology; (C) Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR); (D) Live Stream Transmitter; (E) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS Or Drone) ; (F) Forensic Logic CopLink/Crimetracer System; (G) Pen Register; And (H) Cellebrite; And (2) Making A Determination Regarding Whether The City Should Continue To Use Each Of These Technologies
As a resident of District 3, I OPPOSE the use of Flock cameras and the extension of any and all contracts with Flock.
ALPRs are being used to track our movements, spy on our communities, and compile detailed databases on everywhere we travel in our vehicles. And it's far too easy for this data to be abused and misused. Especially in the current moment with ICE violence and intimidation terrorizing our community and mass surveillance through new tech, Oakland should have no contracts or collaboration with Flock for the sake, safety, and privacy of its people.
Each day these cameras remain active, they collect sensitive data that could be used to violate our rights. Please act now.
The increase in cities across this country becoming surveillance states is terrifying to say the least. The city of Oakland continuing its relationship with Flock and its dehumanizing practices is a slap in the face of democracy and the privacy and safety of its residents. The partnership with Flock is in direct opposition with the spirit of the bay and Oakland in particular. As a city with roots deep in the fight for human rights I urge you to oppose!
As a resident of District 1, I strongly oppose the use of Flock cameras and the extension of any and all contracts with them. Such data collection violate our rights to privacy, and have no concrete evidence of and correlation with keeping our communities safe. Please act now.
The people of Oakland will not so easily forget or forgive this betrayal come re-election time. It has already been made clear that this council wants to increase surveillance with the roll out of new speed cameras around the city this summer, which you can find an argument of how those cameras will help citizen's safety. However there is no way to defend these Flock cameras to citizens. Oakland is A SANCTUARY CITY for the love of everything that is holy. Just this week both Joan Sebastian Durán Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo were shot and killed by ICE agents, for what reason could you possibly try to justify giving this agency more power in our city? The home of the Black Panther Party, a city that prides itself on its politics, simply selling out its residents is shameful. I remind you, the people of Oakland will not so easily forget this betrayal.
As a resident of District 1, I OPPOSE the use of Flock cameras and the extension of any and all contracts with Flock.
ALPRs are being used to track our movements, spy on our communities, and compile detailed databases on everywhere we travel in our vehicles. And it's far too easy for this data to be abused and misused.
Each day these cameras remain active, they collect sensitive data that could be used to violate our rights. Please act now.
I’m a resident of District 3 and am writing to OPPOSE Oakland’s extension of their contract with Flock and their relationship with Flock in general. We DO NOT need to get deeper in mass surveillance, endanger our communities even more (especially marginalized communities who are profiled by the police and surveillance), give money and power to these terrible corporations. All of this goes against what I think Oakland stands for which is a beautiful and diverse city that proudly claims it’s a sanctuary city but then this contract indicates otherwise. It will be a grave and terrible decision if the city goes through with continuing their relationship with Flock or any other mass surveillance company. I strongly urge the city to end this contract as soon as possible and reinvest the money for this contract back into the actual community.
As a District 2 Resident and student, I urge the Council to NOT continue its use of (A) Automated License Plate Readers, specifically in its contract with Flock. Beyond the fact that there is no conclusive evidence that Flock has made any communities safer, the existing safeguards put into place in Oakland are unenforceable. There is no external audit in place and no data published about misuse of the technology. Just across the bay in San Francisco, despite its being prohibited, federal agencies made 1.6 queries in the SFPD's flock database. To continue use of ALPR readers simply because we have been doing so for awhile, and other agencies are doing so, would be an act of institutional cowardice that ignores the wishes of Oakland residents.
I urge you to follow the example of other sanctuary cities and cut ties with Flock, and focus our city funds on actually advancing and revolutionizing what public safety means in our city.
I am strongly opposed to loosening restrictions on Flock. This technology and this company have already been demonstrated to increase public danger from over aggressive tactics by police. This isn't speculative: people are being tracked, intimidated, disappeared, falsely incarcerated and killed by federal authorities to round up immigrants and silence dissent against fascism.
While the desire to combat dumping is understandable, this is like trying to clean a dirty litter box with a flamethrower. It's a wholly irresponsible response to a problem for which actual solutions exist. This makes us far, far less safe and I am terrified of the costs we may pay to prove this to the shortsighted council members backing this.
I am reaching out as a resident in District 5 and a business owner in District 3 to oppose Flock cameras and contracts in Oakland as this puts our community at high risk and does not keep us safe. There have been many reports that the data from these cameras and access to these cameras have been used by ICE, used by cops for personal reasons that breaches privacy, and many other violations of usages. You all say Oakland is a sanctuary city but your actions do not align when you uphold contracts with Flock cameras.
I believe Oakland should follow Santa Cruz, Los Angeles and many other cities over the country who are choosing their communities safety over private surveillance. Oakland deserves better. I encourage you to vote no on Flock expansion and help to end these contracts.
Being Surveillance State is a step backward into authoritarianism, I would hope that Oakland, out of all cities should understand this better than most other cities. Your vote on this will be remembered and blasted.
As a woman and District 2 resident and homeowner, I am vehemently opposed to Flock in Oakland. Flock has been used to stalk law enforcement employees' romantic interests (https://ij.org/police-have-reportedly-used-license-plate-readers-to-stalk-romantic-interests-at-least-14-times-in-recent-years/), which is a huge public safety issue for women in Oakland. These cameras increase surveillance but they don't keep anyone in Oakland safe, in fact, they put some of our most vulnerable residents in danger. Other cities in the area have cancelled their Flock contracts over this. Additionally, Flock is sharing data with ICE to target immigrants (https://vcij.org/stories/flock-cameras-are-used-for-immigration-enforcement). As a feminist, I am urging you to support women and immigrants and cancel this contract.
As a District 2 resident I vehemently oppose Flock in Oakland. Santa Cruz terminated its contract with Flock in January, and Los Angeles just ended its contract with Flock this week over privacy and safety concerns. There is documented and well-known illegal use of Flock data by federal agencies including ICE. Protect your communities and stop Flock. Additionally, I oppose the use of all other surveillance technologies listed in this agenda item - UAV success rate dropped from 84% in 2024 to 75% in 2025, proving its loss of effectiveness despite spending $426K for 240 hours of training for 24 cops; the report did not include operating nor maintenance costs either. FLIR was never used for the past year and the manufacturer no longer services them so this technology should be discarded as it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars. Similarly, OPD wasted $11k+ in 2025 on cellular connectivity for its livestream transmitter that was never even used. It is clear from these OPD reports that the benefits to the community of the surveillance technology DO NOT outweigh the costs, and civil
liberties and civil rights are NOT safeguarded.
As an Oakland District 5 resident, I oppose the use or expansion of Flock. Increased state surveillance puts our most vulnerable community members at increased risk of state violence. We should be getting FLOCK OUT OF OAKLAND, not expanding OPD's use!
As an Oakland district 3 resident, I oppose the continued use of Flock in Oakland. Flock has a lengthy list of cybersecurity issues and failures to follow best practices that put sensitive data at risk. The system has already been used to violate CA sanctuary laws numerous times, and has been shown to be easily abused in many instances across the nation. The technology also comes at significant additional cost without and real statistical evidence that helps solve or prevent any additional crimes. For these reasons and more, Oakland should immediately halt the use of flock cameras and Flock as an ALPR system and vendor.
I am a district 4 resident of Oakland. I vehemently oppose the use of Flock cameras in our city. They are a gross violation of our rights to privacy and they put the privacy of Oakland residents at the whims of a private company. Flock cameras do not make us safer, but only subject us to increased scrutiny and surveillance. Why would we use technology supported and endorsed by the Trump administration? An investigation published last year by the Electronic Frontier Foundation found that Flock cameras enables the surveillance of protestors, encourages biased policing and discriminatory searches, and has been used against reproductive rights. Not to mention the company's surveillance data is being used by ICE, according to the ACLU! The technology sets a dangerous precedent for mass surveillance of Oakland residents. It is a violation of our right to privacy. Follow the guidance of the ACLU and get Flock out of Oakland!
Also, the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (or drones) and Cellebrite is another dystopian overreach into the privacy of Oakland residents.
I am an Alameda County resident and have heard multiple instances of police officers abusing the flock cameras to stalk people from their life and strangers as well. This worries me, especially as this tech has been offered as a safety measure for the public but has been shown to have third party back end access/ not enough encryption.
I am a District 1 Oakland resident and I strongly oppose the use of Flock cameras. This technology leads to unwarranted surveillance, not safety. The vast majority of cars scanned are not connected to any crime, yet the massive amount of data collected can lead to abuses and rights infringement.
OPD Flock data is being searched by other local police departments and illegally shared with federal agencies in relation to ICE cases. This undermines Oakland’s sanctuary city status. Additionally, Oakland has already been sued for such breaches and shouldn’t risk further litigation costs when that money could be used for good of the community.
Audit logs in other California counties have showed sheriff’s department searches for “ICE PROTEST” and “no king,” illustrating the ways these systems are already being used to surveil legal activities and suppress free speech.
We shouldn’t be expanding a system that lacks guardrails against illegal data sharing and other abuses, including cases of law enforcement using this data for stalking.
Instead of investing in Flock, the city should invest in community programs that will actually contribute to the safety and enrichment of Oaklanders - housing, childcare, education, food security, infrastructure repair, and mental health/healthcare.
As a resident of District 3, I OPPOSE the use of Flock cameras and the extension of any and all contracts with Flock.
ALPRs are being used to track our movements, spy on our communities, and compile detailed databases on everywhere we travel in our vehicles. And it's far too easy for this data to be abused and misused. Especially in the current moment with ICE violence and intimidation terrorizing our community and mass surveillance through new tech, Oakland should have no contracts or collaboration with Flock for the sake, safety, and privacy of its people.
Each day these cameras remain active, they collect sensitive data that could be used to violate our rights. Please act now.
The increase in cities across this country becoming surveillance states is terrifying to say the least. The city of Oakland continuing its relationship with Flock and its dehumanizing practices is a slap in the face of democracy and the privacy and safety of its residents. The partnership with Flock is in direct opposition with the spirit of the bay and Oakland in particular. As a city with roots deep in the fight for human rights I urge you to oppose!
As a resident of District 1, I strongly oppose the use of Flock cameras and the extension of any and all contracts with them. Such data collection violate our rights to privacy, and have no concrete evidence of and correlation with keeping our communities safe. Please act now.
The people of Oakland will not so easily forget or forgive this betrayal come re-election time. It has already been made clear that this council wants to increase surveillance with the roll out of new speed cameras around the city this summer, which you can find an argument of how those cameras will help citizen's safety. However there is no way to defend these Flock cameras to citizens. Oakland is A SANCTUARY CITY for the love of everything that is holy. Just this week both Joan Sebastian Durán Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo were shot and killed by ICE agents, for what reason could you possibly try to justify giving this agency more power in our city? The home of the Black Panther Party, a city that prides itself on its politics, simply selling out its residents is shameful. I remind you, the people of Oakland will not so easily forget this betrayal.
As a resident of District 1, I OPPOSE the use of Flock cameras and the extension of any and all contracts with Flock.
ALPRs are being used to track our movements, spy on our communities, and compile detailed databases on everywhere we travel in our vehicles. And it's far too easy for this data to be abused and misused.
Each day these cameras remain active, they collect sensitive data that could be used to violate our rights. Please act now.
Sincerely,
Daya Khunkhun
I’m a resident of District 3 and am writing to OPPOSE Oakland’s extension of their contract with Flock and their relationship with Flock in general. We DO NOT need to get deeper in mass surveillance, endanger our communities even more (especially marginalized communities who are profiled by the police and surveillance), give money and power to these terrible corporations. All of this goes against what I think Oakland stands for which is a beautiful and diverse city that proudly claims it’s a sanctuary city but then this contract indicates otherwise. It will be a grave and terrible decision if the city goes through with continuing their relationship with Flock or any other mass surveillance company. I strongly urge the city to end this contract as soon as possible and reinvest the money for this contract back into the actual community.
As a District 2 Resident and student, I urge the Council to NOT continue its use of (A) Automated License Plate Readers, specifically in its contract with Flock. Beyond the fact that there is no conclusive evidence that Flock has made any communities safer, the existing safeguards put into place in Oakland are unenforceable. There is no external audit in place and no data published about misuse of the technology. Just across the bay in San Francisco, despite its being prohibited, federal agencies made 1.6 queries in the SFPD's flock database. To continue use of ALPR readers simply because we have been doing so for awhile, and other agencies are doing so, would be an act of institutional cowardice that ignores the wishes of Oakland residents.
I urge you to follow the example of other sanctuary cities and cut ties with Flock, and focus our city funds on actually advancing and revolutionizing what public safety means in our city.
I am strongly opposed to loosening restrictions on Flock. This technology and this company have already been demonstrated to increase public danger from over aggressive tactics by police. This isn't speculative: people are being tracked, intimidated, disappeared, falsely incarcerated and killed by federal authorities to round up immigrants and silence dissent against fascism.
While the desire to combat dumping is understandable, this is like trying to clean a dirty litter box with a flamethrower. It's a wholly irresponsible response to a problem for which actual solutions exist. This makes us far, far less safe and I am terrified of the costs we may pay to prove this to the shortsighted council members backing this.
I am reaching out as a resident in District 5 and a business owner in District 3 to oppose Flock cameras and contracts in Oakland as this puts our community at high risk and does not keep us safe. There have been many reports that the data from these cameras and access to these cameras have been used by ICE, used by cops for personal reasons that breaches privacy, and many other violations of usages. You all say Oakland is a sanctuary city but your actions do not align when you uphold contracts with Flock cameras.
I believe Oakland should follow Santa Cruz, Los Angeles and many other cities over the country who are choosing their communities safety over private surveillance. Oakland deserves better. I encourage you to vote no on Flock expansion and help to end these contracts.
Being Surveillance State is a step backward into authoritarianism, I would hope that Oakland, out of all cities should understand this better than most other cities. Your vote on this will be remembered and blasted.
Cheers
As a woman and District 2 resident and homeowner, I am vehemently opposed to Flock in Oakland. Flock has been used to stalk law enforcement employees' romantic interests (https://ij.org/police-have-reportedly-used-license-plate-readers-to-stalk-romantic-interests-at-least-14-times-in-recent-years/), which is a huge public safety issue for women in Oakland. These cameras increase surveillance but they don't keep anyone in Oakland safe, in fact, they put some of our most vulnerable residents in danger. Other cities in the area have cancelled their Flock contracts over this. Additionally, Flock is sharing data with ICE to target immigrants (https://vcij.org/stories/flock-cameras-are-used-for-immigration-enforcement). As a feminist, I am urging you to support women and immigrants and cancel this contract.
As a District 2 resident I vehemently oppose Flock in Oakland. Santa Cruz terminated its contract with Flock in January, and Los Angeles just ended its contract with Flock this week over privacy and safety concerns. There is documented and well-known illegal use of Flock data by federal agencies including ICE. Protect your communities and stop Flock. Additionally, I oppose the use of all other surveillance technologies listed in this agenda item - UAV success rate dropped from 84% in 2024 to 75% in 2025, proving its loss of effectiveness despite spending $426K for 240 hours of training for 24 cops; the report did not include operating nor maintenance costs either. FLIR was never used for the past year and the manufacturer no longer services them so this technology should be discarded as it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars. Similarly, OPD wasted $11k+ in 2025 on cellular connectivity for its livestream transmitter that was never even used. It is clear from these OPD reports that the benefits to the community of the surveillance technology DO NOT outweigh the costs, and civil
liberties and civil rights are NOT safeguarded.
As an Oakland District 5 resident, I oppose the use or expansion of Flock. Increased state surveillance puts our most vulnerable community members at increased risk of state violence. We should be getting FLOCK OUT OF OAKLAND, not expanding OPD's use!
As an Oakland district 3 resident, I oppose the continued use of Flock in Oakland. Flock has a lengthy list of cybersecurity issues and failures to follow best practices that put sensitive data at risk. The system has already been used to violate CA sanctuary laws numerous times, and has been shown to be easily abused in many instances across the nation. The technology also comes at significant additional cost without and real statistical evidence that helps solve or prevent any additional crimes. For these reasons and more, Oakland should immediately halt the use of flock cameras and Flock as an ALPR system and vendor.
I am a district 4 resident of Oakland. I vehemently oppose the use of Flock cameras in our city. They are a gross violation of our rights to privacy and they put the privacy of Oakland residents at the whims of a private company. Flock cameras do not make us safer, but only subject us to increased scrutiny and surveillance. Why would we use technology supported and endorsed by the Trump administration? An investigation published last year by the Electronic Frontier Foundation found that Flock cameras enables the surveillance of protestors, encourages biased policing and discriminatory searches, and has been used against reproductive rights. Not to mention the company's surveillance data is being used by ICE, according to the ACLU! The technology sets a dangerous precedent for mass surveillance of Oakland residents. It is a violation of our right to privacy. Follow the guidance of the ACLU and get Flock out of Oakland!
Also, the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (or drones) and Cellebrite is another dystopian overreach into the privacy of Oakland residents.
OPPOSE OPD SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
-Benjamin Franklin
Flock sets a precedent for a dangerous surveillance state that causes more harm and violence in our communities
I am an Alameda County resident and have heard multiple instances of police officers abusing the flock cameras to stalk people from their life and strangers as well. This worries me, especially as this tech has been offered as a safety measure for the public but has been shown to have third party back end access/ not enough encryption.
I’m a longtime biz owner in Oakland and FLOCK cameras are BAD FOR our businesses and bad for our COMMUNITIES
I am a District 1 Oakland resident and I strongly oppose the use of Flock cameras. This technology leads to unwarranted surveillance, not safety. The vast majority of cars scanned are not connected to any crime, yet the massive amount of data collected can lead to abuses and rights infringement.
OPD Flock data is being searched by other local police departments and illegally shared with federal agencies in relation to ICE cases. This undermines Oakland’s sanctuary city status. Additionally, Oakland has already been sued for such breaches and shouldn’t risk further litigation costs when that money could be used for good of the community.
Audit logs in other California counties have showed sheriff’s department searches for “ICE PROTEST” and “no king,” illustrating the ways these systems are already being used to surveil legal activities and suppress free speech.
We shouldn’t be expanding a system that lacks guardrails against illegal data sharing and other abuses, including cases of law enforcement using this data for stalking.
Instead of investing in Flock, the city should invest in community programs that will actually contribute to the safety and enrichment of Oaklanders - housing, childcare, education, food security, infrastructure repair, and mental health/healthcare.