Berkeley police have created a public portal through which residents can see how the department is using its Flock traffic cameras around the city to track and catch vehicles connected to crimes.
The portal provides a detailed overview of how the technology works, from the number of cameras deployed to the volume of vehicles and alerts processed.
Police said on social media, “It’s your go-to spot for transparent, up-to-date usage stats and insights into our commitment to privacy and accountability.”
Berkeley police started using automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs, in December after a successful trial period.
In July 2023, the Berkeley City Council approved placing ALPRs at 52 locations throughout the city.
The cameras only identify license plates and vehicle type, not details about the people inside the vehicle. As of Wednesday, over the previous 30 days installed cameras had detected more than 544,000 vehicles leading to 2,369 “hotlist” hits and 376 searches.
More cameras coming online
In December, cameras began operating in 32 of those locations and there are now 34. The remaining sites will come online as soon as Caltrans finalizes the necessary permits.
During a trial period lasting from October until December, police said the technology helped them identify suspects, recover stolen property, and resolve cases that might have stalled.
“For example, the system tracked a suspect’s vehicle linked to burglaries at multiple locations,” police wrote on social media last year. “When that vehicle returned to Berkeley weeks later, officers arrested the driver and recovered stolen items.”
Police said the technology helped with a dozen arrests and the recovery of nine stolen vehicles during the trial period.
Critics of the plan have included the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, which said the plan “leaves important questions unaddressed and raises a number of serious concerns about the proposed program’s impact on the rights and liberties of drivers, residents, and visitors in Berkeley.”
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