OAKLAND — Reversing course despite months of public opposition, the city voted Tuesday to keep a controversial license-plate surveillance system in place, approving a two-year contract with Flock Safety while police search for a long-term vendor.
The vote allows Flock to maintain an existing network of roughly 300 cameras on Oakland’s busiest streets and nearby state highways while the Oakland Police Department conducts a competitive search for a long-term surveillance provider. The contract is valued at about $2 million.
Flock representatives have denied accusations — including claims raised in a lawsuit filed by a local privacy advocate — that the company shares license plate data with federal immigration authorities, which opponents argue would violate Oakland’s sanctuary policies.
The City Council voted 7-1 to approve the contract, overriding an earlier decision by a council committee that rejected the deal. Councilmembers amended the agreement to require Flock not to share license plate information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to allow the city to terminate the contract if the policy is violated.
The city will also continue its data-sharing agreement with the California Highway Patrol, which until now has overseen the camera system under a directive from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
A Flock security camera is photographed along Park Ridge Drive in the Country Club Vista neighborhood of Richmond, Calif., on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. The homeowners association recently purchased the security system that can capture still images, including license plate numbers. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
“If there is the slightest indication that this policy is being violated and used to harm our most vulnerable communities, we will cancel the contract,” said Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, who described the agreement as a “two-year experiment.”
Supporters of the deal pointed to law enforcement data showing the cameras have played a significant role in recent investigations, particularly as police struggle with staffing shortages.
Between July 2024 and last month, the cameras led to 232 arrests, including 17 cases involving homicides, according to the department. The technology also helped recover 68 firearms and led to the capture of the suspect in last month’s killing of beloved local football coach John Beam, police officials said Tuesday.
Flock has promoted its artificial intelligence technology as capable of scanning live images for specific vehicle details, while maintaining that it does not use facial-recognition software.
Despite those assurances, the city’s Privacy Advisory Commission urged the council to seek alternate vendors. Brian Hofer, the commission’s most prominent former member, resigned and later filed a lawsuit against the city after the council rejected the civilian-led body’s recommendations.
Community members listen during an Oakland City Council meeting at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to award Flock Safety a new contract to maintain an existing network of 300 cameras in the city. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
More than 100 public speakers at Tuesday’s meeting echoed those concerns, warning the technology could be misused despite contractual safeguards.
“Flock is backed by the same billionaires that back President Trump,” said Elizabeth Corcoran, referencing early investment in the company by Trump-aligned venture capitalist Peter Thiel. “If we build a surveillance system in Oakland, it will be used to target our community members as it has in other cities.”
Others spoke in favor of the cameras, citing a poll conducted earlier this year by the city’s chamber of commerce that found roughly two-thirds of Oakland residents broadly support law enforcement surveillance.
The contract received strong backing from Councilmember Ken Houston, a close ally of OPD, as well as Councilmember Charlene Wang, who earlier Tuesday held a news conference in Chinatown with immigrants who spoke in support of the technology.
“It is crystal clear this technology is needed to combat human trafficking, especially to hold traffickers who are perpetuating commercial sex exploitation of our minors,” Wang said, referring to constituents in her district, which includes areas around Lake Merritt.
City Councilmember Zac Unger listens during an Oakland City Council meeting at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to award Flock Safety a new contract to maintain an existing network of 300 cameras in the city. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Councilmember Carroll Fife cast the lone dissenting vote, despite securing an amendment requiring OPD to take 18 to 24 months to vet alternative vendors before pursuing a permanent contract.
The vote also marked a shift for Councilmember Rowena Brown, who helped draft the anti-ICE amendments but offered little public explanation for her decision to support the contract.
Progressive Councilmember Zac Unger also voted yes, suggesting the city could face retaliation from a future Trump administration if Oakland publicly abandoned its surveillance program.
“Will this program be perfect?” Unger asked. “No, it won’t. But will we have the strongest, safeguards of any city in the Bay Area using cameras? We will.”
Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at shomik@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Anti-camera activists set up a table outside during an Oakland City Council meeting at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to award Flock Safety a new contract to maintain an existing network of 300 cameras in the city. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A community member displays a sign during an Oakland City Council meeting at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to award Flock Safety a new contract to maintain an existing network of 300 cameras in the city. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Community members listen during an Oakland City Council meeting at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to award Flock Safety a new contract to maintain an existing network of 300 cameras in the city. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran listens during an Oakland City Council meeting at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to award Flock Safety a new contract to maintain an existing network of 300 cameras in the city. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)