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Residents press Pasadena council for oversight as city expands surveillance tech; call for public safety committee hearings
Summary
Multiple residents told the council the city's acquisition of surveillance technologies (Flock license-plate cameras, ShotSpotter, park cameras, proposed data-fusion center and drone use) lacked adequate public engagement and asked for guardrails, oversight and funding priorities to favor housing and health programs.
Residents urged the Pasadena City Council on Tuesday to slow and scrutinize the city's adoption of surveillance technologies and to provide clearer public oversight and limits.
Several commenters said the city has acquired a suite of tools in recent years — license-plate readers (Flock), gunshot-detection (ShotSpotter), cameras in parks, speed cameras and proposals for drone use and a data-fusion center that could aggregate feeds in real time. "We went through a surveillance shopping spree," one resident said, noting installations and purchases and urging council to put guardrails around acquisition and use.
Nicholas Rabb, a resident and frequent public commenter on public-safety technology, said he learned the city operates 61 Flock cameras and was planning a data-fusion center that would integrate multiple sources of surveillance. Rabb argued these systems have eroded trust with immigrant communities and could increase risk of misuse. Others linked surveillance purchases to shifting budget priorities and asked the council to consider investing instead in housing, public health and first-responder capacity.
Speakers promoted upcoming committee meetings where surveillance and police budget items will be discussed and urged neighbors to attend: a Public Safety Committee meeting on May 18 and a special meeting on the Pasadena Police Department budget on May 28 were specifically referenced.
What happens next: Staff and the Public Safety Committee are scheduled to address surveillance and police-budget items in upcoming meetings; residents asked the council for formal oversight, clearer public engagement and policy guardrails.
Sources: public comment at the Pasadena City Council meeting (multiple speakers including Nicholas Rabb).
