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Over the past decade, automated license-plate readers have quietly become a standard tool for law enforcement across California, adopted by more than 200 city police departments, sheriff’s departments and other agencies.
That’s despite a series of media reports demonstrating local AI-enabled ALPR databases are feeding a federal surveillance system used by the Trump administration against immigrants and others. While a short list of municipalities in other states, including in Texas and Oregon, have responded by canceling contracts, most California officials appear to be digging their heels in.
The tensions at the heart of the debate were on full view at Oakland City Hall on Tuesday night. More than three hours of public comment preceded the City Council’s 7-1 vote to renew and expand the Oakland Police Department’s contract with Flock Safety, the fastest-growing surveillance product vendor in California, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation…