The decision came during its meeting Tuesday night, one day after leaders in the Bay Area city of Mountain View suspended their Flock cameras after discovering that multiple federal agencies had accessed their data. Flock systems around the state have been accessed by out-of-state law enforcement in recent years in violation of state law.
The cameras scan passing vehicles and search their license plate numbers in law enforcement databases. Flock Safety, the manufacturer, says its cameras can collect and cross-check up to 30,000 license plates a day. Woodland operates 36 license plate readers and five security cameras through the system. Flock cameras are also used in Elk Grove and by Sacramento County in unincorporated areas.
California banned sharing license plate data with outside agencies in 2016, a restriction that has drawn increased attention in recent years because of concerns about how data-sharing could affect people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming health care, as well as undocumented residents.
Police departments say Flock helps them locate vehicles and suspects connected to crimes. In Woodland, Flock cameras are concentrated on roads into and out of the city. Woodland Police Chief Ryan Kinnan told council members Tuesday that his department has found the system useful.
“The value of ALPR technology to us is straightforward,” Kinnan said. “It helps us find stolen vehicles, it helps us identify suspect vehicles in violent and serious offenses, it assists us in missing person investigations.”
Kinnan also stressed that the system is only used to identify vehicles and its data will remain in California in response to concerns raised by Councilmember Mayra Vega and community members.
“This is a vehicle-based system only. There’s no facial recognition, no biometric tracking, it’s not people tracking and it is not immigration status,” he said.
Woodland Police Lt. Heath Parsons cited recent cases where Flock assisted investigations, including a kidnapping and multiple incidents involving people at risk of suicide.
“I wanted to give the council at least a general idea of how we use the technology and how successful it is for us,” Parsons at the meeting.
Woodland pays about $148,000 a year for the system. The city’s four cannabis dispensaries each contribute $20,000 annually, offsetting part of the cost.
The use of license plate readers by California law enforcement has been criticized by civil rights groups and privacy advocates. A 2016 law prohibited sharing data with out-of-state law enforcement, including federal agencies, but agencies around the state, including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and Sacramento Police Department, which uses a different system, have violated that law.
Flock contracts have sparked controversy elsewhere. In the East Bay, Richmond suspended its Flock cameras in December after discovering that the system allowed agencies outside of California to access their data. Santa Cruz and Los Altos stopped using Flock earlier this year over privacy concerns, KQED reported.
Last year, Oakland police shared Flock data with federal agencies, the San Francisco Standard reported in July. In December, the city council renewed its $2 million contract with Flock over objections from privacy and police reform advocates.
After the Police Department presentation, Woodland residents raised concerns during public comment. Four of five speakers opposed the contract, citing privacy risks and the potential for misuse of data.
The council voted unanimously to renew the agreement. Several members acknowledged residents’ concerns while expressing confidence in the Woodland Police Department’s handling of the system.
“I think it’s important to know that this information can’t be accessed easily,” Councilmember David Moreno said. “It’s through the right avenues.”
Councilmember Rich Lansburgh said the technology helps compensate for limited staffing.
“We cannot have an officer on every corner,” he told his colleagues from the dais.
“I am all for providing the chief and the lieutenant — who I trust with my life, because I have to — with these tools who are going to use them legally, honorably and to the best of their abilities,” he said. “I have full confidence in our chief and our lieutenant who are going to continue to do that.”
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