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Bay Area Officials Divide Over Flock License-Plate Cameras After New Votes

New votes this week point to a patchwork approach across local governments.

Overview

  • Alameda County supervisors, who voted 3–2 Tuesday, approved a short extension of the expired Flock contract to July 1 and authorized an extra $303,600 payment on top of $550,600 already owed.
  • Sunnyvale’s council voted unanimously Tuesday to keep its 20 Flock cameras after a city audit found no evidence of data sharing with federal immigration authorities, with routine records deleted after 30 days unless tied to a case.
  • East Palo Alto’s council, following Tuesday night’s contentious debate and failed motions to shorten or end its deal, left a three-year contract in place as residents warned of potential federal access to local data.
  • Alameda County’s sheriff and RTIC staff said the readers helped solve cases including murders, child abductions and robberies, and reported a roughly 57% drop in auto thefts since the cameras were deployed.
  • Several nearby cities have recently ended or limited Flock use over privacy and sharing concerns, and Alameda County plans a competitive bid for future service that could add stronger limits on outside access.