ISSUE | FLOCK CAMERAS: Candidates for the District 1 race are weighing in on Fresno police’s use of Flock cameras, a hot topic of debate locally and in many cities across the country in recent months.
The city’s three-year contract, which expires in 2026, cost roughly $1.5 million in total and was initially funded through a state grant. Local advocacy groups have organized protests and petitions urging the council not to renew the contract over privacy concerns, while Fresno police have argued the cameras, about 70 in total, are useful tools for investigators.
Here’s what the candidates vying for the Fresno council’s District 1 seat in the November election, Rob Funtes and Naindeep Singh, told The Bee on the issue.
Rob Fuentes on Fresno’s Flock camera contract
“The city should not renew its contract with Flock,” the former federal prosecutor and State Center Community College District trustee said.
“Our law enforcement certainly need effective tools to combat thefts, robberies, and other serious crimes. But as a civil rights attorney, I am deeply concerned with a system that creates a surveillance record of every single innocent person who drives through our neighborhoods. Building safe neighborhoods and respecting our constitutional rights is not a false choice: We can and must do both.”
Fresno City Council District 1 candidates Rob Fuentes, left, and Naindeep Singh, right, during a Fresno City Council forum, Friday, April 17, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com Naindeep Singh on Fresno’s Flock camera contract
“Flock promised Fresno safer streets. We need to know if it’s delivering. I do not believe the city should renew the Flock contract without answers to basic questions,” the nonprofit leader and Central Unified school board trustee said.
“Other cities have documented serious concerns: warrantless surveillance, misuse for stalking, immigration enforcement abuse, wrongful arrests based on flawed data. Fresno hasn’t faced these problems, yet, but we should learn from what happened elsewhere instead of ignoring the warning signs.”
“The city has had two years to show the data, but it’s been extremely limited and weak. How many crimes solved per hundred thousand records searched? What’s the actual hit rate? We’re paying for outcomes. We also need transparency. Who accesses footage, for how long, and for what purposes? Is commercial use permitted? Can data be sold to third parties? The fact that the city hasn’t answered these questions suggests they don’t want to.”
“I’m open to the evidence. But Flock as a company has a track record of resisting oversight and sharing data beyond what cities authorized. Renewal without ironclad protections isn’t cautious, it’s negligent.”
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