HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRA 2026-128 (Flock)_2023.07.18 Study Session Staff ReportAgenda #: 1
Meeting Date: July 18, 2023
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Daniel Fox, City Manager
FROM: Ryan McLean, Assistant City Manager
TITLE: AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER (ALPR) SURVEILLANCE
CAMERAS
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Flock systems are priced using a per camera subscription model. Each camera is priced
at $3,000 annually for 30-day data retention or $3,300 annually for 1-year data retention
the City Attorney has advised that 1-year retention is required per state law). One-time
per-camera installation costs of $150 for deployment on existing infrastructure (light
poles or traffic signals) or $650 for cameras that require a new, standalone pole are
applied at the time of installation. A $1,000 fee is charged for vandalism repair or
replacement of damaged equipment. While there would be no new law enforcement
personnel cost necessary to deploy the system, the City may see an increase in aero
bureau costs resulting from stolen vehicle pursuits generated with leads from the
system (LASD policy requires aero support for any vehicle pursuit).
A site analysis conducted by staff in consultation with Flock estimates that 50 cameras
would provide adequate coverage of ingress and egress routes. This deployment
strategy would cost a minimum of $172,500 in the first year.
BACKGROUND:
At the February 28, 2023 meeting, the City Council Public Safety Committee requested
that staff prepare a presentation related to the use of Automated License Plate Reader
ALPR) surveillance systems in Diamond Bar. The matter was subsequently presented
to the committee at the March 28, 2023 meeting, at which time staff was directed to
prepare the item for City Council discussion. At the April 18, 2023 Study Session, the
City Council discussed the matter and directed staff to return with additional information
for further discussion and direction.
1
Packet Pg. 8
ALPRs are camera-based surveillance devices that capture vehicle license plate data.
This data can be used by law enforcement in a number of ways, including to monitor
where a vehicle has been, identify travel patterns over time, and determine links
between different vehicles. The city currently funds two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department (LASD) vehicles equipped with mobile ALPR technology and has access to
fixed ALPR trailers that can be staged throughout town as needed.
The rise of cloud computing has reduced the cost to deploy centralized community-wide
surveillance systems monitored by law enforcement agencies. New machine learning
technology has expanded the scope of data collection. The latest-generation ALPR
camera systems can supplement license plate data with automated collection of vehicle
identifiers like make, model, color, and features like roof racks and bumper stickers and
can also track pedestrians, animals, and other objects in view of the camera.
Flock Safety has emerged as the industry-leader in ALPR surveillance systems, with a
growing number of local government agencies, including many cities in Southern
California, deploying Flock systems. Flock systems rely on fixed-mounted cameras
placed approximately 15 feet above traffic lanes on existing traffic signal and/or light
poles. The cameras are powered with solar-charged batteries and use LTE cell
networks to communicate with servers maintained by the provider.
Data collected is fed through a state stolen vehicle and felony warrant database. Local
patrol deputies can receive real-time push notifications via mobile application when a
vehicle on the database is flagged by a local ALPR camera. Deputies and authorized
users can also create a “hot list” of specific vehicles of interest that may not be in the
database and receive real-time notifications for those vehicles as well.
Data is maintained on cloud servers hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Footage
can also be downloaded and stored locally for an indefinite period. This data is
searchable and can accommodate specific queries - “blue Toyota Camrys with a roof
rack”, for example. Access to local systems and archived data can be shared with other
law enforcement agencies with an opt-in. Flock systems do not currently collect video,
use facial recognition, or intentionally capture images of a vehicle’s driver. All data
collected would be the property of the City and subject to public records law.
The City would be responsible for developing and enforcing policies that govern the use
of the system to ensure conformance with state law and prevent the data from being
used inappropriately.
ANALYSIS:
Flock Safety surveillance systems serve as an additional investigatory tool for law
enforcement agencies. Hits are generated almost exclusively on pass-through stolen
vehicles originating from other areas and vehicles registered to drivers with outstanding
warrants. Deputies in the field are able to respond quickly, generating arrests that may
not otherwise have been made. The cameras also supplement other investigations
when combined with evidence or witnesses collected at the scene of the incident. In at
least one case, LASD has used Flock cameras deployed in adjacent communities to
solve a stolen vehicle case originating in Diamond Bar.
1
Packet Pg. 9
The City of Walnut was an early adopter with Flock, deploying approximately 30
cameras in 2020. Since then, the system has led to the recovery of 64 stolen vehicles
and the arrest of 56 individuals. At the Council’s request and to further measure the
impact of the systems, staff examined 2022 data from two other Southern California
LASD contract cities with Flock systems, including La Canada Flintridge and San
Dimas. All data contained in this report is generated by LASD, with the caveat that there
is no uniform system across stations to collect and track Flock-related arrests and
leads.
City Leads/Hits Vehicles Recovered Arrests
La Canada Flintridge 20 13 1
San Dimas 9 N/A N/A
To provide further context, Attachments 1 and 2 provide summaries for total part 1
crime and total clearance rates for all three sample cities. In general, the data shows
that the deployment of surveillance systems does not insulate cities from regional crime
trends (all three experienced increases in total burglaries from 2021 to 2022). That said,
all three sample cities with Flock systems had higher overall clearance rates than
Diamond Bar.
When deliberating this issue, the Council may also wish to consider other implications,
including:
Responsibility for compliance with the Public Records Act.
Determining which individuals and agencies have access to the data.
Policy decisions about camera placement (arterials vs. residential streets and at
public facilities).
Policy decisions about near future technologies/features, including facial
recognition and live video collection (Flock recently launched “Condor Live and
Recorded Video).
General privacy concerns.
Attachments:
1. 1.a Attachment 1 - Crime Stats Summary
2. 1.b Attachment 2 - Clearance Rates Summary
1
Packet Pg. 10
Part 1 Crime Statistics Summary 2020-2023
Diamond Bar
2020 2021 2022
Total Part 1 Crime 861 977 1064
Homicide 0 2 0
Rape 7 7 13
Robbery 17 18 25
Assault 38 36 54
Total Violent Crime 62 63 92
Burglary 236 221 256
Larceny 474 594 614
GTA 85 98 99
Arson 4 1 3
Total Property Crime 799 914 972
La Canada Flintridge
2020 2021 2022
Total Part 1 Crime 279 265 383
Homicide 0 0 0
Rape 3 1 2
Robbery 4 2 6
Assault 7 10 16
Total Violent Crime 14 13 24
Burglary 72 51 106
Larceny 170 190 245
GTA 20 11 6
Arson 3 0 2
Total Property Crime 265 252 359
1.a
Packet Pg. 11
San Dimas
2020 2021 2022
Total Part 1 Crime 847 805 872
Homicide 2 3 0
Rape 8 14 16
Robbery 25 19 16
Assault 49 31 60
Total Violent Crime 84 67 92
Burglary 104 122 143
Larceny 568 524 549
GTA 90 98 84
Arson 1 3 4
Total Property Crime 763 738 780
Walnut
2020 2021 2022
Total Part 1 Crime 369 468 472
Homicide 1 0 1
Rape 2 5 3
Robbery 11 11 10
Assault 25 42 21
Total Violent Crime 39 58 35
Burglary 108 83 152
Larceny 193 297 240
GTA 25 30 43
Arson 4 0 2
Total Property Crime 330 410 437
1.a
Packet Pg. 12
Clearance Rates Summary 2020-2023
Diamond Bar
2020 2021 2022
Total Clearance Rate 9% 12% 8%
Homicide N/A 100% N/C
Rape 114% 80% 92%
Robbery 35% 22% 20%
Assault 71% 103% 59%
Burglary 6% 10% 6%
Larceny 4% 7% 3%
GTA 7% 8% 3%
Arson 0% 0% 67%
La Canada Flintridge
2020 2021 2022
Total Clearance Rate 15% 14% 15%
Homicide N/A N/A N/C
Rape 100% 100% N/C
Robbery 50% 0% 50%
Assault 114% 80% 75%
Burglary 11% 25% 7%
Larceny 9% 7% 13%
GTA 15% 9% 17%
Arson 67% N/A 0%
1.b
Packet Pg. 13
San Dimas
2020 2021 2022
Total Clearance Rate 17% 10% 10%
Homicide 100% 100% N/C
Rape 150% 86% 69%
Robbery 52% 26% 50%
Assault 88% 77% 70%
Burglary 13% 6% 5%
Larceny 10% 4% 7%
GTA 1% 7% 7%
Arson 0% 0% 25%
Walnut
2020 2021 2022
Total Clearance Rate 17% 19% 13%
Homicide 100% N/A 100%
Rape 100% 80% 100%
Robbery 45% 55% 10%
Assault 88% 79% 76%
Burglary 9% 14% 6%
Larceny 9% 10% 5%
GTA 8% 7% 7%
Arson 50% 100% 0%
1.b
Packet Pg. 14