Overview
- Flock license-plate readers were installed at 18 Oakland locations this week under a two-year, $2.25 million contract approved 7–1 by the City Council.
- The Automated Speed Safety Program issues warnings for 60 days before ticketing begins in mid-March, with discounted fines for low-income drivers and revenue dedicated to traffic safety.
- Oakland also contracted with Verra Mobility to help run the program, and officials say cameras trigger on speeding, a claim challenged by civil-liberties researchers.
- EFF’s analysis of California ALPR data and a related ACLU/EFF lawsuit against San Jose fuel objections to broad plate scanning and centralized law-enforcement access.
- National scrutiny has intensified after reports of ICE and DHS access to ALPR data, prompting several cities to cancel or pause Flock deals, even as Oakland police cite the system’s role in about 10% of arrests.