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While other local towns, aiming to reduce crime, have opted to install automatic license plate readers and gunshot detection services, the Menlo Park City Council veered in a different direction at its Sept. 26 meeting.
Menlo Park Police Department Chief David Norris said the devices have proved useful in solving crimes from homicides to thefts, and to locate vulnerable missing people, such as elderly dementia sufferers.
Four community members spoke of their concerns about data collection practices and oversight with Flock Safety automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) at the meeting. They mentioned problems that ranged from identifying information to the collection of data that could harm someone, such as a visitor coming to California for reproductive care that could result in prosecution in their home state.
Mayor Jen Wolosin said that she hadnt seen the city do enough outreach to the American Civil Liberties Union, a watchdog organization, and communities of concerned residents.
Norris said that the data was widely not used. Flock ALPRs only use one-tenth of 1% of data collected, and the rest is deleted, he said.
I'm also thinking about the cost to civil liberties and privacy that have been expressed by members of our community and the ACLU, Wolsoin said. If it's such a needle in a haystack, how are we then showing the need for this? (How are we showing) the benefit of this, given the cost to privacy, leaving ourselves more vulnerable to data hacking and whatnot.
Other local towns, such as Atherton, Redwood City and Woodside, have elected to install Flock ALPRs largely due to concerns about burglaries and thefts. […]
