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Residents urge review, possible cancellation of Flock Safety camera contract over privacy concerns
Summary
Multiple Corona residents and a local coalition urged the council to audit queries of Flock Safety license-plate cameras, disclose data-sharing agreements and consider canceling the contract, citing private cloud storage and potential federal access to the data.
Several residents used the March 18 public-comment period to press the city to re-examine its contract with Flock Safety and the placement of license-plate cameras in residential areas.
Brett, speaking for a group called DFlock Corona, said the cameras do more than simple LPR (license-plate reading). "Flock advertises these cameras as simple license plate readers. Their own patents tell a different story," he said, arguing the devices capture "every passing vehicle and transmit that data to a private corporate cloud" and that residents have limited public-records rights to that privately-held data.
Speakers alleged the company had undisclosed federal or law-enforcement integrations and that investment ties connected the technology to larger data-fusion platforms; Brett urged the council to audit queries, disclose any sharing agreements and vote to cancel Corona's contract if public safeguards cannot be guaranteed. Other residents described cameras on residential streets that they said collect vehicle and appearance data and expressed fear about who can query the stored records.
City staff did not offer a formal response in the meeting to the specific allegations; councilmembers thanked the speakers and said staff would receive the community's concerns.
What happens next: Citizens said they will file public-records requests and return to subsequent council meetings. No formal staff report or council action to audit or cancel Flock Safety was recorded on March 18.
