East Palo Alto Mayor Removes Surveillance Camera Debate from City Council Agenda
East Palo Alto Mayor Webster Lincoln removed a discussion of Flock Safety cameras from Tuesday night’s city council agenda in a 3-2 vote, leaving dozens of residents who came to speak without a chance to comment.
Council member Mark Dinan, who supported the removal, called further discussion «a waste of time.» Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica, one of two voting against the motion, promised to place the item on every future agenda.
During public comments, resident Filiberto Zaragoza accused the council of denying people their right to speak and promised to return. Luis Rosas, who grew up in East Palo Alto, explained his concerns stem from having undocumented family members and immigrant relatives. For him, the cameras represent a direct threat to his loved ones, not just a technology issue.
Flock Safety operates license plate-scanning cameras mounted on poles and traffic lights that capture vehicle data 24 hours a day. The system stores information for 30 days and connects more than 80 Bay Area agencies in a shared database, allowing each to search others’ data. East Palo Alto currently operates 25 cameras, most along University Avenue, under a three-year contract approved in December 2023. The council assured residents the agreement could be terminated at any time.
City documents revealed that was not accurate. During negotiations, Flock Safety demanded full payment of the approximately $270,000 contract with no termination option. Residents recommended rejecting the deal and returning to the $92,000 annual agreement used during the 2024 pilot program.
Police maintain the cameras are effective. In August, after a man attacked a woman at 77 Newell Road, a camera captured the suspect’s license plate, leading to an arrest within 37 hours. The system has also helped solve car thefts, hit-and-run crashes and armed robberies, according to police.
Mountain View disconnected its Flock cameras in February after an investigation revealed more than 250 California law enforcement agencies had searched the city’s data without its knowledge or permission through Flock’s shared database. Participating cities were unaware of who accessed their information or when. Atherton and Menlo Park faced similar situations. Several Bay Area cities have since terminated or frozen their Flock contracts.
Flock Safety states it does not share data with federal agencies without permission. California law prohibits transmitting such data outside the state. East Palo Alto has a large immigrant population. Mountain View’s experience demonstrated how these protections work in practice.
The next council meeting is scheduled for April 21. Abrica promised to add the cameras to the agenda. Zaragoza promised to attend. The 25 cameras throughout East Palo Alto continue recording license plates.
