A marathon meeting in Petaluma highlights a growing rift over high-tech police surveillance.
According to the Press Democrat, the city’s Public Safety Advisory Committee met Wednesday to debate the use of Flock Safety license plate readers. While police credit the AI cameras with solving carjackings and finding missing persons, a crowd of residents called the system a “privacy disaster” that risks data being shared with federal agencies.
Despite the outcry, the committee narrowly voted against recommending an end to the contract. Instead, they’re urging the City Council to investigate less-invasive alternatives.
With cities like Santa Cruz already cutting ties with Flock over privacy concerns, Petaluma officials now face a difficult choice between high-tech crimefighting and civil liberties.
