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As the September expiration date for Redwood City’s automated license plate reader contract inches closer, the city has started to field applications for a new provider.
Flock Safety, the surveillance technology company behind the street camera system that tracks vehicles, acknowledged in March that some plate reader networks across the state were “inadvertently accessible” to out-of-state agencies, which, in many cases, violated state law regulating data-sharing.
In June, Redwood City Police Chief Kristina Bell said the city has found “no evidence of unauthorized law enforcement agencies accessing Redwood City’s ALPR technology.” The city approved the program in September 2023 and the police department has restricted its data sharing to Bay Area law enforcement agencies since February 2026.
Flock has come under fire for unauthorized data-sharing, with some cities pulling out of contracts with the company amid protests from privacy advocates. For Redwood City police, one of dozens of law enforcement agencies in the state using Flock cameras, the controversy has raised questions from the community about who could search the city’s camera network, what the department knew and whether safeguards added this year go far enough.
The deadline for the city’s 46-page request for proposals is on Aug. 7. The request is for the three-year purchase of equipment and support services to maintain the 25 plate readers in Redwood City and includes the option to extend the contract for two years.
While the contract with Flock would have automatically renewed, the city notified the company of its intent to conduct a request for proposals instead, and that Flock would have to submit a new one, said Jeanne Sullivan Billeci, the city’s communications contractor.
The city received input from the Police Advisory Committee and community members about immigration-related access, privacy, civil liberties, data sharing, cybersecurity, auditability, data retention, transparency, vendor accountability and potential misuse, according to the proposal request.
At the Redwood City Council meeting Monday, close to 20 public commenters urged the city to end its relationship with Flock and seek broader community input about its plate reader program in general.
Amber Garza Washburn, a Redwood City resident and attorney with a background in civil rights and law enforcement, said it was her first time speaking publicly at a council meeting because she is “very against the use of ALPRs in our community.”
“As a former prosecutor, I’m very careful not to spread misinformation,” Washburn said. “There’s too much evidence to deny that there are serious issues with ALPRs and Flock.”
Washburn added that “there’s no downside to delaying these decisions,” whereas if the council rushes forward, the public “will feel betrayed.”
Diane Savage, who represents immigrant rights with the local nonprofit Indivisible Mid-Peninsula, said at Monday’s meeting that plate readers are among the “most pervasive” government tools to surveil and detain “the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
Will Osler, a resident of Menlo Park who spends time in Redwood City, pointed to “a slew of deeply dystopian abuses of ALPR systems,” and that “it would be very nice to be able to get a breath of fresh air here without being surveilled.”
San Francisco, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Richmond are among the Bay Area cities where law enforcement agencies have identified unauthorized or improper access involving their automated license plate reader data.
Palo Alto continues to use Flock but now requires outside agencies to sign memorandums of understanding before accessing its data. Other cities have gone further: Mountain View, Santa Cruz and Los Altos Hills terminated their license plate camera contracts with Flock this past winter.
In response to those concerns, Redwood City police said it’s requiring proposals to describe, document and contractually commit to safeguards.
“The Police Department is seeking proposals that will go beyond a ‘cookie cutter’ approach that simply mimics what other cities are doing,” the request stated. “The ideal vendor is one that treats privacy with the sanctity it demands and who demonstrates those values in practice.”
The request stated proposals will be evaluated based on “public safety functionality,” as well as the “strength, verifiability and enforceability of proposed safeguards.”
Police noted in the request that it’s not a contract and that the city can pursue “any concept and/or solutions” after the fact. The city also said no single vendor or system has been predetermined by the city.
In the request, the department said plate reader technology “has become a crucial public safety and investigative tool” to assist in criminal investigations, the arrest of suspects and the recovery of missing people and stolen property. In late May, for example, Redwood City police used street camera footage to locate a hit-and-run suspect charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of a 72-year-old woman.
A contract is expected to be awarded on Sept. 14, the request stated.
The city will provide additional information about its ALPR program and contracting approach at the Aug. 12 Police Advisory Committee meeting, according to Billeci.
