The Oakland Police Department wants the private security company Flock Safety to install more surveillance cameras in the city. Supporters say the data will only be stored for 30 days, and that the cameras will be used to prevent crime. In a report, former OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell says there’s been a 41 percent decrease in overall robberies since Oakland started using license plate reader technology.
But, some people, like Cat Brooks with the Anti-Police Terror Project, think the contract will open Oaklanders up to increased federal surveillance.
“We've got a government that is literally stalking and disappearing our most marginalized community members. It is a lie to Oaklanders to say that OPD can buck federal subpoenas, can buck the will, the power of the Trump administration. So basically, Oakland is being asked to spend $2.25 million that we don't have on a system that's not gonna keep us any safer.”
Right now, Oakland has almost 300 license plate readers installed throughout the city. In July, the San Francisco Standard reported that OPD was illegally sharing data from those cameras with ICE.
Flock Safety has some well-known funders, including Peter Thiel and Gary Tan. The company has contracts in cities and police departments all over the country, including San Francisco. But in the last month, they’ve had their contracts terminated in several cities including Austin, Texas, Sedona, Arizona, and Cambridge, Massachusetts over concerns about the company’s data sharing practices.
If the proposal is approved by the Oakland Public Safety Committee tonight, it will go to the full city council for a vote.
