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Residents urge West Covina to cancel Flock camera contract amid concerns data may reach ICE
Summary
Multiple residents urged the City Council to cancel its contract with Flock Safety, citing reports that license-plate-reader data can be accessed by federal agencies and expressing concern about surveillance of community movements; the council asked staff for clarity and the city manager said the police department does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the July 7 West Covina City Council meeting to press the city to end its contract with Flock Safety, a private automated license-plate-reading service, and to seek transparency about what the West Covina Police Department does with camera data.
Lee (full name not provided) told the council that residents had documented Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity near West Francisco Avenue and Willow and described at least nine Flock cameras within a one- to two-block radius. Lee asked, "What does the West Covina Police do with all the data that they collect from these Flock cameras?" and asked the council to cancel the contract.
Leslie Garcia, who said she lives in District 2, urged the city to cancel its Flock contract and not replace it with any automated license-plate readers. She cited reports from civil-liberties groups that police sharing of license-plate data can enable tracking by federal agencies and said community trust is eroding. "These Flock cameras collect sensitive information about where we work, where we live, where we practice faith, where we seek medical care," she said, adding that ongoing uncertainty has made longtime residents fearful.
City Manager (unnamed) responded during his remarks that he was unaware of ICE activity at the intersection described and stated that the West Covina Police Department "does not work in collaboration and cooperation with federal authorities with any immigration type enforcement." The city manager said staff would review the comments and that the police and city officials would respond to resident inquiries.
Councilmembers thanked the speakers and asked staff to provide transparency on data-use policies and any past sharing of data. The matter was raised as part of public comment and no formal motion on the Flock contract was made during the meeting; residents asked the city to clarify handling and retention of camera data and to report back to the council.
The council did not vote to cancel or amend any contract for automated license-plate readers at the July 7 meeting; instead, the city manager said staff would follow up on the concerns and that the police department reported it does not collaborate with federal immigration enforcement for these activities.
