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Santa Cruz Council votes 6-1 to terminate Flock Safety ALPR contract, directs staff on safeguards
Summary
After hours of public testimony and council debate, the Santa Cruz City Council voted 6-1 to terminate its contract with Flock Safety and discontinue use of its automated license-plate readers effective immediately, directing the city manager and city attorney to provide notice and return with recommendations for any future ALPR use.
The Santa Cruz City Council voted 6-1 to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety and discontinue use of its automated license-plate-reader (ALPR) system, citing security, data-sharing and vendor-accountability concerns.
Council member Susie O'Hara, one of three sponsors of the motion, opened the discussion by acknowledging that ALPR technology has helped the Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) in investigations but said the vendor's repeated operational and transparency failures and the present federal immigration enforcement climate raised unacceptable risks. "When the stakes are this high, the vendor's posture matters," O'Hara said, arguing that the city must not leave a plausible path for local data to be used in ways that conflict with Santa Cruz values.
Dozens of residents testified during a prolonged public-comment period. Peter Gelblum of the ACLU summarized the legal and policy case for cancellation: "Literally, the only way to protect the data from being misused is not to…
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