"Berkeley is extending its contract with the surveillance company Flock Safety but halting a proposed major expansion that would have added drones and more cameras to the city's system. The council voted 5 to 4 to approve an extension of up to 12 months of its existing contract with Flock, which was initially approved in 2023 and provides 52 automatic license plate readers. The cameras are used to track down suspects and stolen vehicles, streamline police department coordination and aid investigations."
"Council members, however, overwhelmingly rejected the Berkeley Police Department's request to grow its Flock fleet, introducing new drone technology, investigative software and additional fixed surveillance cameras that would have cost an additional $1.4 million over the next four years. Instead, the council directed the city to engage in a competitive bidding process with other vendors who could offer that surveillance software."
"While many Bay Area agencies have said that they do not participate in the "National Lookup," and instead share their data on a one-to-one basis with neighboring departments, some have alleged that the wider sharing setting was reactivated by Flock without their knowledge, allowing out-of-state agencies to access their information. Flock spokesperson Trevor Chandler told the council at Thursday's meeting that the company has made it possible for cities to opt out of data sharing and "could have communicated the compliance featur"
Berkeley extended its contract with Flock Safety for up to 12 more months, continuing use of 52 automatic license plate readers. The cameras support locating suspects and stolen vehicles, improving police coordination, and assisting investigations. The City Council approved the extension by a 5-to-4 vote, but rejected a request from the Berkeley Police Department to expand the system with drones, investigative software, and additional fixed surveillance cameras. The proposed expansion would have cost an additional $1.4 million over four years. The council instead directed the city to pursue competitive bidding for other vendors that could provide the requested surveillance software. Some agencies alleged that wider data sharing was reactivated by Flock without their knowledge, enabling out-of-state access, while Flock said cities can opt out of data sharing.
#surveillance-technology #police-body-and-vehicle-monitoring #city-council-decisions #data-sharing-and-privacy #flock-safety-contract
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