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Resident asks council for transparency after 'flock' cameras appear in neighborhoods
Summary
A Rancho Cordova resident asked the council to explain who funded and authorized new license‑plate/‘flock’ cameras that appeared on neighborhood light poles, saying such systems have led to wrongful arrests elsewhere and urging public transparency and possible oversight.
A Rancho Cordova resident asked the City Council on March 16 for an explanation after she discovered what she described as new "flock" camera equipment mounted on light poles in neighborhood streets and at a number of intersections.
"I noticed some new equipment on light poles in my neighborhood ... they look like flock cameras," Emily Robinson said, identifying herself as a Rancho Cordova resident. Robinson said some cameras appeared to have been removed while larger intersections still showed equipment and asked the council to disclose who funded the cameras, why they were installed and whether their use had oversight. "I would like some transparency from this council as to why those cameras were put up, and now they're gone," she said.
Robinson cited national examples in which license‑plate readers misread information, leading to wrongful arrests and other harms, and urged the council to clarify whether residents had been consulted or could vote on such installations.
Council members did not provide a substantive answer during the public‑comment period; staff or council follow‑up was not recorded in the hearing. The resident asked for the city to report back with details on funding, purpose and any contracts or pilot programs that led to camera deployment.
