by John Glidden | glid24@protonmail.com | June 16, 2024
VALLEJO – New Automated License Plate Reader Cameras (ALPRs) may soon be on their way to the city of Vallejo.
The city’s Surveillance Advisory Board (SAB), a watchdog commission which makes recommendations about the use of surveillance technology in Vallejo, will receive a presentation on Thursday (June 20) about the use of the license plate readers in Vallejo.
In May, the Vallejo City Council requested that the board provide a recommendation on the use of ALPRs and other surveillance cameras provided by the Atlanta-based Flock Safety. The city is seeking council approval to enter into a new agreement with Flock Safety for the installation of updated devices but first is requesting input from the surveillance board.
Created in 2021, the board is responsible for advising the city council on the best practices regarding the use of surveillance technology in the city. Despite operating for several years, the board has yet to provide a recommendation on the use of ALPRs and other Flock Safety cameras in Vallejo. The city has worked with Flock Safety since July 2020.
As of November 2023, the city had 94 license plate readers with 86 being currently active, according to staff in a report to the council.
Flock Safety touts that it works with 2,000 law enforcement agencies allowing cities to share license plate data of vehicles known to be associated with a crime or suspect. The readers can be mounted to bridges, traffic lights, overpasses, light posts, and police vehicles.
Over the last several years, Vallejo has increased its reliance on license plate readers with officials arguing the new technology will help the police department maximize its resources.
“With the decrease of sworn staff, Flock ALPR has become a force multiplier and a valuable investigative tool for officers investigating crime,” according to a PowerPoint presentation from the Vallejo Police Department which is included in meeting materials to the board.
The use of the ALPRs has assisted Vallejo police in the recovery of 227 vehicles, and led to the arrest of 238, the same police presentation claims.
Police further said the department is in the process of installing an additional nine license plate readers and 13 other Flock Safety cameras.
A Raven gunshot detection device along Sacramento street in downtown Vallejo. Photo: John Glidden
The city has recently installed nearly 300 Raven gunshot detection devices around the city, following a significant delay, according to previous SAB meeting minutes. The SAB voted in September 2022 that the city not use the gunshot detection system, citing concerns with the accuracy of similar systems in other cities.
The board argued that false alarms could escalate police calls but the Vallejo City Council overruled the surveillance board in December 2022 and voted to bring the tech to Vallejo.
However, installation of the technology has been problematic with police officials acknowledging in July 2023 that the gunshot detection devices had not been installed at that point – seven months after the council approved their installation – because a contract between the city and Flock Safety had not been signed.
Police say the three technologies — the ALPRs, gun shot detection devices, and new cameras, will allow the department’s watch commanders “to access (real-time) problematic areas where events such as side shows develop to provide additional information for incoming units. These cameras also provide footage for investigative follow-up.”
It will cost Vallejo $1.4 million to sustain the current ALPR program over five years. In the same report, police suggested funding could come from Vallejo’s general fund or from Measure P monies.
Measure P is a seven-eighths-cent sales tax increase passed by Vallejo voters in November 2022. Vallejo’s new sales tax is the highest in Solano County at 9.25%.
The Surveillance Advisory Board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 20 inside the Vallejo City Hall Council Chambers, 555 Santa Clara St. in downtown Vallejo.
Members of the public may provide public comments during the board
meeting in person or via ZOOM (https://ZoomRegular.CityofVallejo.net), or via phone, by
dialing (669) 900-6833. Meeting ID 914 0075 0676# For additional instructions on how to speak remotely during public comment, please visit, http://www.cityofvallejo.net/publiccomment
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