title:
Receive an update on the pilot Flock Camera program; Consider approving a first amendment to the Flock Group, Inc. agreement totaling $138,000 for two additional years of service for the continued operation of 23 Flock Safety cameras in the Homeacres neighborhood in Southeast Vallejo; Authorize the County Administrator to execute the amendment and any subsequent amendments which are technical or administrative in nature; Authorize the Sheriff or their designee to execute amendments which are technical or administrative in nature; Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request totaling $69,000 from the Homeacres Loan Program to fund the first year of the agreement (4/5 vote required)
body:
Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Resource Management and the Sheriff’s Office recommend that the Board of Supervisors:
1) Receive an update on the pilot Flock Camera program;
2) Consider approving a first amendment to the Flock Group, Inc. agreement totaling $138,000 for two additional years of service for the continued operation of 23 Flock Safety cameras in the Homeacres neighborhood in Southeast Vallejo;
3) Authorize the County Administrator to execute the amendment and any subsequent amendments which are technical or administrative in nature;
4) Authorize the Sheriff or their designee to execute amendments which are technical or administrative in nature; and
5) Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request totaling $69,000 from the Homeacres Loan Program to fund the first year of the agreement (4/5 vote required).
SUMMARY:
In September of 2023 and based on community response to various outreach efforts, the Board approved a cooperative effort between the Department of Resource Management and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office to pilot the use of 23 Flock Group, Inc. safety cameras in the Homeacres neighborhood for a two-year period with an initial cost of $161,546, funded by the Homeacres Loan Program Fund. Operation of the safety cameras is in accordance with the Solano County Sheriff’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) practices. The cameras are installed and mounted on dedicated poles at sites selected by the Sheriff’s Office and can be either directly connected to power or use solar power.
This program has been successful and the community supports its continuation. The current agreement will conclude in October and staff is recommending the Board approve an extension of the pilot for two additional years due to the program’s success for a total cost of $138,000. The funding to continue this effort will come from a reduction in committed funds to the Home Rehabilitation and Neighborhood Safety Program which was also authorized by the Board from this funding source. This is being recommended due to lower than anticipated participation (5 loans to date) in the rehabilitation program. Staff continues to explore ways to encourage utilization.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no cost to the County General Fund for this program. The $138,000 two-year agreement for the continued operation of 23 Flock Safety cameras will be funded by the Homeacres Loan Program fund contingencies, designated for improvements to housing, infrastructure, and blight in the Homeacres area. The first-year contract expense totaling $69,000 is due at signing, and the balance of $69,000 will be due the second year of the agreement.
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2025/26 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Solano County implements a Homeacres Loan Program, funded through a contingency fund containing housing set-aside funds from the Southeast Vallejo Redevelopment Project, including revenue received from a 1998 settlement agreement, interest earned over time on those set-aside funds, and from interest payments and loan payoffs made by loan recipients on existing loans. Funding through the Homeacres Loan Program has provided housing rehabilitation and reconstruction loans, relocation grants, sewer lateral repairs, and exterior lead-based paint abatement grants to assist low- and moderate-income households. The Department of Resource Management is utilizing these funds to rehabilitate housing, develop infrastructure, and abate blight throughout the Homeacres community. Due to low utilization of the rehabilitation program, staff is recommending shifting available funds from the loan rehab program to fund the extension of the Flock Camera effort.
In the first full year of operation (2024), the Flock Safety Cameras have been very successful.
Total “hits” in 2024: 6,412 (A hit indicates recognition of a wanted license plate.)
• 3,347 – custom hotlist hits (Plates entered by an officer both in and out of our jurisdiction)
• 2,945 – lost or stolen license plates
• 118 – stolen vehicles
• 2 – felony vehicles
Importantly, in 2024, the 23 cameras in Homeacres were used by the Sherriff’s Department to solve 34 cases, leading to 16 arrests.
Some key points about the Flock Group, Inc. safety camera system and the Sheriff Office’s implementation of the program include:
Data Use
The Sheriff utilizes real time alerting of “hotlist” vehicles to capture wanted criminals. Hotlist hits are required to be human verified prior to action. Additionally, all system access requires a valid reason and access actions are stored indefinitely.
Data Protection
Flock Group, Inc. does not access, share, or sell data. The data is owned by the Sheriff’s Office, who retains full control of who it is shared with and uses it for law enforcement purposes only. Data is never sold to 3rd parties and all data is retained for no more than 30 days.
To address recent American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) concerns, collected data is to be shared only upon written authorization from the Sheriff’s Office and will not be used for immigration enforcement, purposes related to gender affirming care or reproductive care, traffic enforcement, harassment or intimidation, usage based solely on protected class (i.e. race, sex, religion), or for personal use. If any misuse were detected, the Sheriff’s Office can turn off access to granted users or agencies.
Protection of Individual Privacy
The cameras use “vehicle fingerprint” technology to capture objective evidence on a vehicle such as license plates and unique vehicle markings and attachments. There is no facial recognition or information collected on people, gender or race.
This program was instituted as a result of the Planning Services Division conducting outreach to area residents and conferring with the Solano County Sheriff’s Office to determine the most pressing neighborhood needs. The Department’s consultant team distributed 550 surveys to residents in the area to gauge their interest in various housing rehabilitation and safety programs. Based on responses to all outreach efforts, the proposed pilot program to install and use Flock Safety Cameras received strong community support.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to approve the proposed extension of the pilot program. This is not recommended since Flock Safety, Inc. provides an affordable, infrastructure-free automatic license plate reading camera system for the Homeacres neighborhood residents who want to reduce crime within a principled framework and funding remains available for the programs continuation. The program was requested to be implemented by the Homeacres neighbors through various outreach methods.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Sheriff’s Department and Department of Resource Management have coordinated on this item and for funding and operation of the cameras.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION