Overview
- City council members voted 4-3 after a lengthy meeting to keep the Flock deal in place through the end of 2026 while alternatives are evaluated.
- Richmond’s license plate readers have been offline for months, with officials disabling them in December as a precaution following outside-access concerns raised earlier by the police chief.
- The council directed the city attorney to negotiate a contract amendment that expressly bans unauthorized data sharing across jurisdictions or with outside agencies.
- Police leaders argued the system is a key investigative tool, citing arrests and recoveries tied to ALPR data and pointing to stalled cases during the shutdown, while one councilmember referenced a recent trafficking case to underscore lost leads.
- The decision comes as nearby jurisdictions diverge on Flock: Santa Cruz, Mountain View and Santa Clara County have ended contracts, San José recently narrowed its program, and Oakland continues to use the cameras.