Ross council discusses license-plate reader pilot after armed-robbery data prompts review

Ross police asked the council to consider installing automated license-plate readers (ALPR) at strategic ingress points to aid investigations and deter stolen-vehicle and other criminal activity.

Chief Pada framed the proposal as a "force multiplier" after staff engaged vendors following an armed robbery in July. Kristen McLeod, community engagement manager for Flock Public Safety, briefed the council on Flock's Falcon ALPR: rear-vehicle still images, motion activation, solar power, 24/7 operation, strict data controls (default hard deletion at 30 days) and an audit trail that records search reasons and user IDs. She said the vendor's system does not perform facial recognition and "is focused on collecting objective vehicle attributes, not people."

Chief Pada recommended starting with ALPR cameras pointed at ingress corridors to capture vehicles entering Ross rather than broad-area surveillance, noting coordination with neighboring agencies (San Rafael PD, Marin County Sheriff) to avoid duplication. He presented an eight-camera pilot concept focused on capturing vehicles entering from Sir Francis Drake and other key approaches.

Council members asked about deterrence, alert timing and costs; McLeod said systems can alert officers within seconds when a wanted vehicle crosses a camera and that Flock typically offers subscription/lease models with two-year terms or purchase options. Staff noted potential replacement costs for vandalized cameras and suggested starting with a pilot and developing a local policy and transparency portal.

Council expressed general support for a pilot, asking staff to return with budget estimates, a draft policy that describes permitted use and retention, and coordination plans with nearby agencies before any contract is signed.