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Residents demand city end Flock license‑plate reader contract; advocates link devices to ICE and data risks
Summary
Dozens of speakers during public comment urged the council to cancel an $84,000 contract with Flock license‑plate readers, saying the cameras collect personal data, risk sharing with federal agencies, and divert funds from infrastructure and community services.
San Bernardino — Multiple residents and community groups urged the council to terminate an expiring contract with Flock — a supplier of automated license‑plate readers — arguing the cameras collect sensitive location and vehicle data, raise privacy and immigration enforcement concerns, and divert local funds from infrastructure and social services.
Speakers said San Bernardino’s Flock contract (cited as approximately $84,000) is up for renewal and warned of data sharing with federal authorities. "We demand that the city council terminate the contract with Flock," said Shah Heria of the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, who noted instances in other California cities where similar contracts were canceled amid data‑sharing concerns. Numerous community members from the San Bernardino Airport neighborhood urged the council not to renew the contract when it comes up for renewal on March 31.
Advocacy groups framed the issue as part of a broader public‑safety and civil‑rights debate, requesting that the council discuss the Flock contract at the next meeting and prioritize spending on green spaces, parks, and community services rather than surveillance.
What happens next: Community advocates asked the council to schedule explicit discussion of the Flock contract before automatic renewal and to provide more transparency about the contract’s data‑handling terms and any law‑enforcement or third‑party data‑sharing agreements.
