Richmond police will get new drones and surveillance cameras, but not the license plate readers they asked for, at least not yet. Late Tuesday, Oct. 6, the City Council voted 5-2 to approve the drone and camera portion of an expanded Axon contract while stripping out the automated license plate readers and sending that piece back for more negotiation and a future vote.
What passed
The council approved the Axon drones and cameras, with the contract price cut to match the removed readers, and a separate contract of up to $500,000 with Assure MSP for Verkada security cameras at city facilities, according to The Grandview Independent and The CC Pulse. Councilmember Sue Wilson and Mayor Eduardo Martinez voted no. Police Chief Tim Simmons said six new drone docks would extend coverage to Hilltop, Carriage Hills and Point Richmond; the city's single current drone covers about 60 to 70 percent of Richmond.
The full staff request, continued from two September meetings, would have added $3.5 million to the city's existing Axon contract, which covers body cameras and Tasers, for a total of up to $12 million, according to the city's staff report.
Why the readers were held back
Before the vote, the council heard from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group. Its strategic campaigns director, Sarah Hamid, said records showed outside agencies had been able to search Richmond's Flock data on a massive scale, including searches referencing immigration enforcement. California law bars sharing that data with federal and out-of-state agencies. Simmons said the records showed the data was accessible, not that it was used, and that discovering the exposure is why he shut the system off last year.
Simmons said Axon would replace the city's 110 Flock readers one for one, the city would own the equipment, and outside access would require a documented request. He also told the council he would not claim the readers reduce crime, calling them a source of leads.
Most of the 21 public speakers opposed the readers. Vice Mayor Doria Robinson said she wanted to see a pending $20,000 study of how Richmond has used them before voting. A substitute motion from Councilmember Cesar Zepeda to approve everything failed 2-5; he warned that contract talks take about 60 days.
What's next
The council voted 4-3 in March to keep Flock through the end of the year, so its cameras shut off Dec. 31. The plate reader contract will return to the council for a final vote, and the timing will decide whether Richmond has a gap in coverage.