Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras in Hayward are being replaced with Axon cameras, after public concerns about the technology’s data security.
According to a staff report on a five-year purchase agreement approved with Axon, the city is replacing 64 Flock ALPR cameras with Axon ALPR cameras. The purchase was approved during a city council meeting on Aug. 18.
Hayward Police Department (HPD) Captain Dan Olsen said at the meeting that the technology they purchased does have livestream capability, but there are limits. “It does not pan, it does not tilt, it does not zoom and it does not record for later recall,” he said about Axon cameras.
HPD is spending nearly $3 million over the next five years on new Axon ALPR cameras, eight “Drone as a First Responder” (DFR) Axon drones and real time technology equipment.
The Axon ALPR cameras capture images of license plates along with the date, time and location, but HPD assured that the information would not monitor a person’s movement from place to place. HPD said the DFR drones would be used for emergency calls only and not for random surveillance.
HPD Police Chief Bryan Matthews said at the meeting that there would be two internal audits done on Axon cameras. Officers who are in charge of ALPRs are monitoring their use monthly, making sure data is not inappropriately accessed by people outside of California and federal immigration agencies.
There is a second audit done on staff who are accessing ALPR data. Each staff member and police officer has to enter their own username and reason code before searching the ALPR database. Those logs are monitored to make sure the access is being used for law enforcement purposes and not for personal reasons. Matthews said if the technology is being misused, that person would be subject to termination.
