Stockton expands contract with Flock Safety after public pushback regarding data sharing
Stockton city leaders have signed off on a $3.15 million expansion of its Flock cameras.
For over an hour ahead of Tuesday's vote, residents voiced their concerns about Flock Safety, a company used by many cities across the country that some are now parting ways with over data-sharing concerns.
Despite this, the council voted unanimously to approve a contract extension with the company.
CBS News Sacramento spoke with Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi about the pushback.
"There's the California Values Act that prohibits this information from being shared," she explained. "It stays within our law enforcement and is used for prosecution. It's used within the state, but it does not report to the federal government. It does not go to those agencies. It is purely for use in responding to calls where officers are needed."
That was the main issue.
The Modesto Police Department dealt with a similar issue in March, stating its Automatic License Plate Reader system was improperly connected to multiple federal agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, IRS Criminal Investigations and San Diego Sector Border Patrol. Those have since been disconnected.
There have also been concerns in other cities about the data being accessed by ICE.
Mayor Fugazi says that won't happen.
"Our chief has been very forward in saying that we are here to protect our community. Our department does not do immigration. We are not a branch of the federal government. We are here to protect and serve the residents of Stockton," she said.
She says these devices have helped solve crimes within the city, everything from mail theft to catching an alleged serial killer.
The expanded contract now includes a "Drone as First Responder" platform, which can transmit live video from the scene before officers arrive.
The mayor hopes this will help the understaffed police department.
"We need to have all the tools we can in order to be more effective at making sure that our public is safe and that we're dispatching resources where they're most needed," Mayor Fugazi said.
This will be funded through a grant that the city says had to be used by June 30. The city's contract with Flock Safety will now be extended through April 2031.