Some San Diego city councilmembers are pushing the police department to consider other companies to operate a citywide surveillance network that assists investigations.
Why it matters: The move came the day after more than 100 residents and leaders raised questions Tuesday about Flock Safety’s automated license plate reader camera system during the city council’s required annual review of police department surveillance tech.
Driving the news: Council leaders Joe LaCava and Kent Lee sent Mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego police chief Scott Wahl a memo Wednesday asking the police department to issue a new request for information (RFI) for vendors of automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology.
- Flock’s ALPR system is part of the city’s contract with Ubicquia Inc. for surveillance technology, signed in 2023 without a competitive bidding process.
- LaCava and Lee this week voted in favor of keeping Flock’s license plate camera system. But they’re calling for a review of other qualified vendors due to data safety concerns with Flock, which has faced scrutiny for sharing data with federal and out-of-state agencies in cities nationwide, violating state laws.
- An RFI would also allow city leaders to review the existing contract to address recommendations from the city’s Privacy Advisory Board and city council.
Neither Gloria nor the police department responded to a request for comment on Friday…