Re “City Council votes to retain Flock ALPR system” (Dec. 10): The council missed the real issue in its 6-3 vote to renew the Flock license plate reader contract. The question was never whether ALPR technology has value. It was whether San Diego will keep sensitive data secure, local and under city control — or continue outsourcing it to a vendor with a history of mishandling information.
The meeting lasted hours, and most of that time was filled with comments from community leaders and residents opposing the renewal. Their concern was not the use of ALPR itself, but the continued storage of San Diego’s data on Flock’s cloud-based system, which has previously allowed unauthorized access in violation of state law.
Proponents highlighted ALPR’s usefulness in certain cases, but that did not address the core problem: data security and oversight.
San Diego needs an ALPR system housed on secure, city-managed servers. Until that happens, the program will remain vulnerable and unworthy of public trust.
— Larry Stowell, San Diego