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Council hears department defense on Flock license‑plate readers; auditors and county-only sharing cited
Summary
Councilors raised recent media about other cities discontinuing Flock LPRs; Captain Afton Alvin said Monte Sereno's settings were not set to the disputed options, the department audits Flock settings regularly and shares data only with cities in Santa Clara County.
Council members asked Captain Afton Alvin to address recent negative press about Flock license-plate‑reading systems. Captain Alvin acknowledged the news attention and told the council that Monte Sereno did not enable the settings implicated in other agencies' decisions and that the department audits Flock settings and usage with the Flock administrator and detective bureau. "Those settings were never turned on here," Alvin said, adding the department conducts regular checks and weekly audits.
Alvin also said the department limits data sharing to other cities within Santa Clara County rather than wider, cross‑jurisdictional sharing, and pointed to an online transparency portal and state law (Senate Bill 34) requiring notification of any misuse. Council members urged making data more accessible for public inspection to increase confidence.
