Berkeley rejects police surveillance expansion, will keep Flock plate readers

"Berkeley has abandoned at least temporarily a plan to bulk up its police surveillance network with new video cameras, drones and software supplied by the firm Flock Safety. The City Council voted 8-1 Thursday to pull the plug on a proposed $2 million surveillance network expansion sought by police, though it did not close the door on contracting with Flock for the technology in the future. In the short term, the council renewed Berkeley's lease of 52 of the tech giant's automated license plate readers for up to another year, at a cost of up to $200,000."

"The plate readers have been active since 2024, and police say they have led to scores of arrests since then, including at least one alleged instance of attempted murder. About 100 residents, activists, current and former council and Police Accountability Board members, and advocates from the Council on American Islamic Relations, ACLU of Northern California and immigration-focused nonprofits staged a rally before the council vote, demanding the city drop any contracts with Flock."

"Among other concerns, Flock has faced scrutiny nationwide after law enforcement officers elsewhere have used data from its networks to investigate people who have had abortions, monitor protesters and locate undocumented people for deportation. Although Flock says that they've addressed these issues, their reactive approach is insufficient and simply just can't be trusted, Mayor Adena Ishii said at the rally. When the public trust is broken and when there are legitimate fears that data could be used to target our community members, we need to listen and say no' for these reasons."

"Police officials and business leaders have said new surveillance tech is a crucial force multiplier for a perpetually understaffed police department and, at least until recently, most council members seemed convinced"

Berkeley temporarily abandoned a plan to expand police surveillance with video cameras, drones, and software from Flock Safety. The City Council voted 8-1 to stop the proposed $2 million network expansion while leaving open the possibility of contracting with Flock later. In the short term, the council renewed the lease for 52 automated license plate readers for up to another year, costing up to $200,000. The readers have operated since 2024 and police credit them with leading to numerous arrests, including an alleged attempted murder case. About 100 residents and advocates rallied before the vote, urging the city to drop any Flock contracts. Concerns included nationwide scrutiny over law enforcement use of Flock data to investigate abortion-related activity, monitor protesters, and locate undocumented people for deportation. Mayor Adena Ishii said Flock’s reactive approach cannot be trusted when community members fear data could be used to target them.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org