A retired San Diego police captain who helped steer the city toward a controversial smart-streetlight and license-plate reader system is now on the payroll of the company that won the contract, a move that is stoking fresh skepticism about how the deal was made and how well City Hall polices conflicts of interest. Community groups and several councilmembers were already calling for the city to revisit Flock Safety’s role, and privacy advocates say this latest twist only sharpens their concerns about surveillance oversight.
Jeff Jordon, the San Diego Police Department captain who oversaw the rollout of the city’s smart streetlights and automated license-plate readers, retired from SDPD on April 1. Soon after, he listed a new position at Flock Safety on his LinkedIn profile. Just months earlier, in December, the city had approved nearly $1.5 million in additional services for Flock, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
How The Surveillance System Landed In San Diego
San Diego moved ahead with a combined smart-streetlight and automated license-plate reader program after years of heated debate, ultimately authorizing an initial rollout city officials said would cost about $3.5 million for hardware, software and the first year of services. At the time, City Council staff argued that bundling streetlights and plate readers into a single package would save money, according to the Times of San Diego.
Ethics Rules And The City’s Official Line
San Diego has a one-year “cooling off” rule that bars former city employees from lobbying the city during the first year after they leave. The city’s ethics commission director has also cautioned staff not to use their positions to shape decisions that might benefit a future employer. In response to questions about Jordon’s new role, the San Diego Police Department pointed to rules governing post-employment contacts and said that no city workers had been paid by Flock to install its cameras in San Diego, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
National Controversies, Local Backlash
Across the country, Flock’s automated license-plate reader networks have drawn legal challenges and pointed questions about whether the systems enable warrantless surveillance and problematic data-sharing arrangements. In San Diego, those concerns fueled a rally in early December, where dozens of community organizations and several councilmembers publicly demanded that the city reconsider the program, as reported by Forbes.
What Comes Next At City Hall
The City Council’s Public Safety Committee recently voted to keep San Diego’s relationship with the system in place, but the full council is set to take up the issue this week, with privacy advocates and some members pushing for tougher oversight. City and police officials maintain that the technology helps solve crimes, while watchdog groups are insisting on clearer rules and specific product changes before any expansion, according to KPBS…