Shasta County is considering canceling its contract with Flock Safety, the automated license plate reader company.
Supervisor Kevin Crye proposed the idea at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting. He’s been expressing concerns about the technology that tracks license plates around the community.
Crye asked Sheriff Michael Johnson to come back to either the Nov. 10 or Nov. 17 meetings with a presentation on the contract and how his office uses the cameras.
“If this board then chooses that the presentation isn't sufficient, we would terminate the contract,” Crye said. “If there is a presentation that's made, and it's deemed great by this board, then there would be no cancellation.”
Over 25 people spoke at the meeting, many agreeing that more discussion about the cameras is needed.
Some also pushed back. That included resident David Halligan, who said the technology is a vital crime-fighting tool.
“Keep the Flock cameras active on our roads,” Halligan said. “It’s a game-changer for the good guys.”
License plate reading technology has come under fire across the country over privacy concerns and misuse, and some communities are moving away from it.
That conversation has spread locally, too.
The City of Anderson on Oct. 6 and Oct. 20 held its own discussions on license plate reader cameras, though no action was taken.
And in Chico, where police shared license plate data with immigration authorities, the City Council voted Sept. 21 to further examine how much camera data the federal government accessed.
