Cameras: Liberties Groups Skeptical About the Use and Misuse of the Technology
Davis, CA – On Tuesday, the Davis City Council will hold a public hearing to discuss a proposal from the Davis Police Department (DPD) regarding the expansion of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) and public safety cameras. The proposal outlines a plan to increase the use of these surveillance technologies in order to enhance law enforcement capabilities, particularly in crime investigation and prevention.
According to the Surveillance Impact Report prepared by the Davis Police Department, the expansion would allow officers to gather critical information during investigations, locate stolen or wanted vehicles, and improve overall public safety efforts. However, the proposal also acknowledges concerns about privacy, civil liberties, and data security, leading to the development of a Surveillance Use Policy to govern the implementation of the technology.
The Davis Police Department has requested approval from the City Council to apply for grant funding through the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office to cover the initial costs of the expanded ALPR system.
The total estimated cost of implementing the system includes $415,180 for equipment, installation, hardware, and software and $17,800 annually for cellular services and access to the Motorola Vehicle Management System.
The ongoing annual expenses are expected to be covered through the California Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (SLESF), which provides yearly grants designated for frontline law enforcement services.
According to the staff report, ALPR technology plays a crucial role in solving crimes, particularly vehicle-related offenses, and can assist in locating individuals who may be missing or endangered. The report also cites a recent increase in property crimes and vehicle thefts in Davis as a reason for expanding the use of ALPRs.
This proposal follows a review by the Police Accountability Commission (PAC) on January 6, 2025. The PAC expressed interest in annual reviews of the ALPR system to ensure proper oversight. The city’s Surveillance Ordinance requires that any proposed expansion of surveillance technology be subject to a public hearing, providing an opportunity for community members to voice their opinions.
The estimated total cost of purchasing and installing new ALPR units and public safety cameras, as stated above, is $415,180, which DPD intends to cover through external grant funding.
Additionally, as indicated, the identified ongoing operational costs of $17,800 per year will be covered by the SLESF, ensuring that local tax dollars will not be directly allocated toward the recurring expenses of the system.
The staff report notes that ALPR systems have become standard tools in modern law enforcement, helping to quickly identify stolen vehicles, locate missing persons, and track suspect movements. The report also states that data retention and security measures will comply with state and federal guidelines to prevent misuse or unauthorized access.
While the Davis Police Department argues that the expansion of ALPRs and public safety cameras will contribute to enhanced crime prevention and investigation, the proposal has also raised concerns regarding privacy and civil liberties.
The Surveillance Impact Report acknowledges these concerns, stating that the proposed Surveillance Use Policy includes measures to:
- Limit access to ALPR data to authorized personnel only
- Prevent data sharing with federal immigration authorities unless required by law
- Set strict data retention limits to prevent indefinite storage of license plate information
- Require annual audits and transparency reports to ensure compliance with city policies
Community members have expressed both support and skepticism regarding the expansion of surveillance technology in Davis. Some residents and civil rights groups have voiced concerns over the potential for data misuse, racial profiling, and mass surveillance, while others believe the technology could serve as a valuable tool for public safety.
The Davis Police Department has stated that its goal is to strike a balance between crime prevention and privacy protection, ensuring that the technology is used ethically and transparently.
The use of license plate readers is controversial.
In 2024, the Vanguard spoke to Cat Brooks of the Anti Police-Terror Project in Oakland when Governor Newsom announced California was installing cameras in Oakland and the East Bay to “aid law enforcement in identifying vehicles linked to crimes using real-time information and alerts.”
However, groups like the Anti Police-Terror Project have come out against the proposal.
“It’s not going to do anything to solve crime,” Cat Brooks, the co founder and Executive Director of the Anti Police-Terror Project, told the Vanguard in a phone interview this week. “So if the assertion is that this is a public safety issue, that this is going to turn things around, it’s a false assertion and there’s no data to back it up.”
She said, “There is data to back up that these cameras cause all sorts of problems for folks in low-income communities of color.”
One of the big problems, as Brooks pointed out, is police end up pulling over the wrong people.
She said the police end up “pulling over people that law enforcement thinks that they’re the person that did whatever they think happened – and it turns out to be the wrong individual.”
Cat Brooks cited the case of Brian Hofer, the chair of the Privacy Commission, saying that they were driving home on Thanksgiving when the license plate on the car triggered a license plate reader which initiated an arrest.
“They were brutalized and had guns pointed at their face,” she said. “That’s not an exception to rule – this happens all the time.”
The Vanguard talked to Brian Hofer about this incident, which occurred on Thanksgiving in 2018, “We had four guns pointed at our head after Thanksgiving in 2018 when a license plate reader said that we basically stole our own car and just the plate had been put on a hot list by mistake.”
He said one of the problems is, in addition to human error, the scanners themselves have up to a 35 percent error rate.
“We got lucky, my brother and I, we didn’t go to jail,” he said. “But we might have. Or been shot.”
Hofer founded Secure Justice as a result of this incident and came to Davis last year to speak out against the use of Facial Recognition Technology.
“I just know statistically they’re not very effective at crime fighting,” he said. “The hit rate for the last 10 years has been 0.01 percent. That’s just an alert that they’re a likely match. That’s not actually the recovery of a stolen vehicle or an arrest or an at-risk locate.”
Given that, Hofer said, “It’s just not a magic silver bullet that’s coming to the people.”
