Despite criticism, Oceanside will keep using controversial Flock surveillance cameras

Despite opposition from the public driven by a national backlash caused by privacy concerns, the Oceanside City Council Wednesday accepted a federal grant for a license-plate reading camera system operated by the Georgia-based company Flock. 

The City Council voted 4-1 to use $30,000 — or nearly half of a $57,000 federal grant — on maintenance for the city’s 18 cameras as part of a contract with the company that provides law enforcement agencies nationwide with automated license plate readers. The cameras are located at nine major intersections in Oceanside, and also used throughout San Diego County.

Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce voted against the move, echoing concerns from the public about surveillance issues given the cameras’ data sharing capabilities. 

Before the vote, the police chief and captain who oversees the Flock contract said the cameras have helped solve crimes, and officers take security measures to ensure proper use.

But residents expressed concerns. 

The cameras have become a lightning rod nationwide amid reports identifying data is being used by federal immigration authorities and also by officers abusing it to track ex-partners. 

Six public speakers Wednesday opposed the city using the money for the Flock technology given their privacy concerns. No one from the public spoke in support. 

Speaker Macy Jackson urged the City Council to get more information about the technology as she said the staff report had insufficient detail. 

“This staff calls the equipment proven instrumental and claims it reduces crime and improves quality of life without providing measurable results,” Jackson said. “The lack of evidence is especially concerning because these cameras collect information about ordinary Oceansiders’ locations and movements.”

Privacy and safety 

Oceanside has had its Flock contract for the cameras since 2021, Oceanside Police Chief Taurino told inewsource. The contract wasn’t made public as part of the meeting material ahead of the vote.

Flock installs the cameras and helps determine location, according to the company’s website. The company also does the maintenance. 

The police department renews the contract on a yearly basis, and just recently renewed it for another year. The maintenance typically costs about $30,000 a year, officials said. The renewal does not always require City Council approval if it does not pass a funding threshold. 

Valdovinos and Capt. Nickolas Nunez praised the cameras Wednesday and said that the technology had helped the department solve several crimes, including a homicide.

The cameras collect the time, date, location and an image of the back of a vehicle, which helps officers in Oceanside and beyond find vehicles that are wanted. The data is also uploaded to a searchable database that is shared with agencies across the country. 

Joyce, the deputy mayor, said that even if the cameras help solve crimes, privacy rights must be considered.  

“It’s not about trusting an individual,” he said. “If you build a tool of mass surveillance, you will eventually be mass surveilled.”

He said he wanted to hold another hearing to get more details about the cameras and the department’s safety measures. The audience applauded him, but the rest of the City Council quickly moved to approve the funding. 

National backlash

People in communities across the country are voicing opposition to Flock’s technology. The company has contracts with thousands of cities nationwide to operate over 100,000 cameras.

The American Civil Liberties Union has said that the cameras create a national network that allows law enforcement to track innocent people. The website has a “Get the Flock out” toolkit for residents who are trying to get their cities to cancel contracts with the company. 

Oceanside police officials told the council Wednesday said that they have additional transparency measures to try to prevent bad actors from misusing the system. They said the department uses the cameras only for criminal cases or life-saving situations or matters when a person’s life is at risk.

Nunez said the Oceanside Police Department’s policy prohibits any use of the camera system outside of “legitimate reasons for law enforcement purposes.” The department conducts monthly audits of its uses, and there are “serious consequences for officers who misuse the system.” 

Also in California, state law prohibits agencies from sharing data with other states or federal agencies. Oceanside also audits other agencies that use its data, the officials said. 

“Our expectations of officers is a lot higher,” Nunez said. “Yes, there are a number of unfortunate uses throughout the country, but those typically end in termination.”

But Joyce said that even if the Oceanside department uses the cameras appropriately, others may not because of their tracking services. 

A 2022 inewsource investigation revealed that half of San Diego County’s 10 law enforcement agencies had been sharing license plate data with other agencies across the U.S. — despite state law requiring that information stay in California.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued El Cajon last year, accusing the department of illegally sharing sensitive location data with law enforcement agencies across the country. 

Oceanside’s officers pointed to the fact that the company Flock recently updated its own policies and auditing system and now uses artificial intelligence software to alert the department to issues or misuse. 

Some members of the public said that money should go towards other needs of the Oceanside Police Department instead of Flock. 

Speaker Megan Louise said money could be used for mental health support for officers. 

The rest of the money from the federal grant – doled out through the U.S. Department of Justice Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program– will go towards paying for overtime and benefits for police officers. 

“There’s always ways to redistribute, rethink, and reuse those funds,” Louise said.