Police chief outlines ALPR use, schedules public forum as residents demand answers

Police Chief Scott Weese told the Monterey Park City Council that the department's automated license plate reader system uses Flock Safety's Falcon single-image cameras to capture license plates and vehicle descriptions, not video images of people. "It does not capture images of people," Weese said, adding the cameras "are not video cameras" and that searches are subject to departmental audits and California statutory protections.

Weese said access is limited within the department and that investigators and 9-1-1 dispatchers have search or alert capabilities but the department conducts regular audits. "We have a very strict department policy. We conduct audits. We have a lot of safeguards in place to make sure that the system is not misused," he said, and he invited residents to Tuesday's public forum where staff will demonstrate searches, alerts and the public portal.

Council members pressed for specifics about camera models, locations and whether federal agencies have accessed the data. Weese said the department's cameras are Falcons and that Flock's Condor cameras (which record video) are not used in Monterey Park. Multiple council members and members of the public noted national reports implicating Flock or other agencies in unauthorized access; Weese said the department does not share its data with ICE and that state law restricts cross-border sharing.

The chief repeatedly emphasized audit procedures and a three-person supervisory review of searches, and said the department is exploring what elements of those audits can be made public without jeopardizing active investigations. The briefing preceded an extended public comment period in which many speakers urged the council not to renew the Flock contract and requested more transparency from the police department.