Debate continues over Richmond’s use of Flock cameras

RICHMOND — Months after shutting off most of its Flock Safety cameras due to privacy concerns, Richmond officials must now decide whether or not to give the company a second chance, a dilemma splitting the community.

Richmond’s partnership with Flock, one of the largest surveillance technology companies in the nation, has steadily grown since 2023, culminating in a contract worth $2 million and more than 150 cameras installed across the city.

A majority of those cameras have been disabled since October, a decision police Chief Tim Simmons said he made after learning the system had a “national lookup” feature that allowed any agency using the Flock system to access the city’s data by searching a full license plate number.

“My highest priorities have always been clear: protecting the safety of residents, improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and ensuring everyone who lives in and visits Richmond can do so safely and confidently,” Simmons said.

Other Bay Area jurisdictions have either canceled their contracts with Flock in part due to data security concerns or are in the process of reviewing the relationship, including Mountain View, Santa Clara County, San Jose, and Alameda County.

There’s no evidence that the city’s data has been accessed by outside agencies, Simmons said. The national lookup feature was disabled by the company in California and data sharing relationships initiated from inside or out of the state are now prohibited, Simmons said.

Simmons acknowledged what he said were real concerns about Flock, while asking the City Council on Tuesday to consider extending the contract through December with the option to either turn on or keep off the license plate readers.

Simmons said the company has agreed to a new contract condition that would force Flock to pay a $290,000 fee for any unauthorized data disclosures.

“I firmly believe that there is a path forward where we can protect our residents from physical harm while also safeguarding their privacy and guarding against emotional harm and mistrust. Public safety and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive ideas. In fact, they must coexist if we are to maintain the trust that is foundational for effective policing,” Simmons said.

Three types of Flock camera systems are used in Richmond: 96 automatic license plate readers, which capture images of vehicles; 65 closed-circuit televisions, a fixed surveillance camera system; and drones that provide aerial coverage during emergencies.

The automatic license plate readers have been disabled for months, while the closed-circuit televisions have remained online because that system is on a closed network that requires data to be manually exported, Simmons said.

Extending the contract through December would not come with additional costs, Simmons said.

Dozens of community members spoke passionately about their support or concerns for the city’s partnership with Flock during a meeting Tuesday.

Supporters, including mayoral candidate Ahmad Anderson and District 4 City Council candidate Jamin Pursell, argued the council should give the police department the tools they need to prevent crime.

Speakers pointed to data Simmons presented that shows car jackings have increased by about 30% since the license plate readers were disabled in November. Simmons also said an alleged trafficking victim is believed to be in the city and could have been found by now if the department had full access to the system.

“Criminals know the cameras are down and the people committing crime pay attention to these decisions even if this council doesn’t,” said Ben Therriault, president of the Richmond Police Officers Association, the union representing sworn staff. “These cameras don’t replace officers. They give us leads and, more importantly, they give victims answers.”

Opponents on the other hand argued that the city should not contract with the company at all, regardless of whether stronger data protection was implemented. A key concern is that the company’s product is being used to assist with federal immigration operations.

“You can’t say that you don’t support ICE and support Flock,” said Richmond resident Ryan Kazen, who noted his vehicle has been broken into multiple times. “Even though Flock will not be abused in our city, it is being abused elsewhere.”

No decision was made Tuesday because time ran out. Council meetings have a hard stop at 11 p.m. and an attempt to continue the meeting into Wednesday failed. The issue is expected to come back up during the council’s next meeting in two weeks.

But some on the council made their opinions heard before adjournment.

Mayor Eduardo Martinez said the company could not be trusted, sharing concerns the system could be used to track those seeking an abortion or transgender people in states like Kansas where a law was recently passed invalidating drivers licenses that have gender markers that do not match what someone was given at birth.

Councilmembers Cesar Zepeda and Jamelia Brown alternatively said the issue could not wait, both pointing to the case of the trafficked girl.

“We have a young person who is trafficked whose phone is pinging in our city and this is what we chose to do,” Brown said. “So I want that to sit on your good night.”