Vallejo Police Tell Oversight Panel How They Use Flock Cameras as the City Weighs Its Contracts

Vallejo's Police Oversight and Accountability Commission spent Thursday, Oct. 8, questioning police about how the department uses Flock Safety license plate cameras and the company's Raven gunshot detection system, as the city reviews whether to keep its contracts with the company.

What police described

Lt. Josh Caitham said Flock was used in five of nine homicide investigations from January through August, and three of those five led to arrests. It was not clear which Flock tools were used in each case. He said the department runs about 20,000 Flock searches a year.

Caitham also acknowledged limits on the city's control. State law bars Vallejo from sharing plate data with out-of-state agencies, but he said Flock, as a private company, decides whom it shares with, and out-of-state agencies can share their data with Vallejo. Asked by Commission Chair John Lewis how closely a car could be followed, Caitham said a plate placed on a hot list could be tracked for 30 days, with location alerts. He said police do not do that without a warrant.

Lt. Jason Martinez said internal audits pull three months of data and review 30 random searches at a time. The latest audit found documentation problems but no policy violations, which he attributed to training. He said outside agencies have been cut off before when their use raised red flags. Assistant City Attorney Randy Risner said drivers on public roads cannot opt out of being recorded.

Public comment

One resident said the city needs Flock or something like it to fight crime. A software developer questioned the department's login security, called police-run audits of the system a self-feeding loop, and asked for fuller data on false positives.

What comes next

The commission and the city's Surveillance Advisory Board meet jointly on Oct. 15, when staff are expected to present more detail on how well Raven works. Vallejo's Raven contract covers about four square miles of high-gunshot areas. At a September meeting, department data showed 7,015 Raven alerts from January to August, most tied to fireworks and 1,049 to gunshots. The advisory board has also asked staff to schedule a discussion, likely in November, on whether to recommend ending the Flock agreements. The City Council, which is reviewing the license plate camera contract, has asked both panels for input. At least 20 California cities, including Half Moon Bay and Mountain View, have ended Flock contracts.