Richmond Debates Renewing ALPR Contract
Activists in Richmond, CA are lobbying the city council to renew its contract for Flock Safety's automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras. The cameras were recently deactivated, sparking a debate between public safety advocates and privacy watchdogs over the technology's role in law enforcement.
The deactivation of Richmond's 96 ALPR cameras in late 2025 stemmed from the discovery of a "national lookup" feature in Flock Safety's software. Police Chief Timothy Simmons ordered the system offline after learning this feature created a data-sharing arrangement with outside agencies, a violation of both city policy and California law. Flock has since disabled this feature for all its California clients. Prior to being shut down, the ALPR system was active since March 2023 and, according to police, assisted in 274 arrests, the recovery of 259 stolen vehicles, and 911 criminal cases. Following the deactivation, officials reported a 33% increase in vehicle thefts. During a recent city council meeting, the police chief highlighted an active human trafficking case where the offline cameras were hindering the search for a juvenile victim. Richmond's relationship with Flock Safety involves a contract that had grown to over $2 million by January 2025, expanding from an initial 30 ALPR cameras to include 70 more, as well as 40 CCTV cameras, a drone program, and a mobile surveillance trailer. Even with the ALPRs offline, the city's other Flock-provided equipment, like CCTV cameras, remains in use. The city council's vote on whether to renew the contract, which expired on February 28, 2026, has been delayed. The debate pits privacy advocates and groups like the ACLU, concerned about mass surveillance and potential data misuse, against law enforcement and some residents who point to the system's crime-fighting successes. A proposed amendment to the new contract would fine Flock Safety $290,000 for any unauthorized data breach.
