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Residents press Vallejo council to reject Measure P funding for Flock ALPRs and call for stronger police oversight
Summary
Dozens of public commenters at the June 9 Vallejo City Council meeting urged the council not to use Measure P funds to expand automated license-plate readers (ALPRs) from vendor Flock Safety and called for full funding of the Police Oversight and Accountability Commission and independent audits before expanding surveillance technology.
Tens of residents urged the Vallejo City Council on June 9 to block Measure P money from going to ALPRs and other surveillance tools, and to instead prioritize police oversight and community services.
During public comment, Shay Grove, RJ and others cited examples in neighboring cities where ALPR systems were canceled because of privacy, security and vendor concerns. "Yes, we can cancel flock," Grove said, listing cases in Santa Cruz, Mountain View and El Cerrito that council members earlier referenced in the meeting.
Speakers raised specific technical and security objections: commenter Eric McGovern asked for documentation that Flock Safety's cloud storage and audit tools meet the city's security standard and said the Surveillance Advisory Board did not receive full details at its review. Sparrow, who described surviving domestic violence, testified that ALPR grids make victims feel less safe, citing recent national examples of misuse.
Multiple advocacy groups and residents also urged the council to fully fund the Police Oversight and Accountability Commission (POAC). "Fully funding the Police Oversight and Accountability Commission is not optional," said Crystal G. (public commenter), citing the city's past settlements and investigations as evidence that stronger, resourced oversight is required.
Council members signaled they wanted more work before allowing Measure P funding for Flock or Axon purchases: the council's eventual budget motion removed Flock funding from the immediate Measure P commitments and directed staff and advisory bodies to return with more analysis. Council also voted to require the Surveillance Advisory Board (SAB) and POAC to meet jointly to develop recommendations on any surveillance deployments and associated safeguards.
What happens next: staff and the surveillance advisory bodies will provide additional security assessments, usage and audit procedures, and policy options before any Measure P funds are committed to vendor licenses or expanded ALPR deployment. Several councilmembers asked specifically that vendor security, audit logs, retention policy and civil-rights impacts be addressed in the follow-up.
