The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office will tackle the controversial topic of Flock Safety cameras at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting this November.
The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17. Second District Supervisor Laura Capps called for the public hearing.
The City of Santa Barbara recently terminated its contract with Flock Safety and stalled on implementing a replacement system from the company Verkada.
However, at the county level, Flock cameras are still positioned throughout unincorporated areas near Santa Barbara and other cities in the county.
These cameras are operated by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
Flock Safety cameras have been at the center of nationwide backlash regarding privacy concerns, cases of misuse, and data sharing across agencies—including immigration enforcement.
The Sheriff’s Office operates 25 cameras around the county. In the last 30 days, the cameras have detected 387,148 unique vehicles, according to the Flock Transparency Portal. The portal also lists that there have been 551 search sessions in the past 30 days.
The Sheriff’s Office shares its Flock safety data with other police departments and sheriff offices around California. The office also receives data from police and sheriff’s departments around the country, including ones in Texas, Florida and Wisconsin.
The county Sheriff’s Office reports that data is not used for immigration enforcement and is never sold to 3rd parties. The office also reports that the cameras only detect license plates and vehicle descriptors—not faces, people, gender or race.
There has been particular community concern about cameras positioned near schools such as San Marcos High School and Montecito Union School. These cameras are operated by the Sheriff’s Office.
Whether action might be taken on Flock Safety cameras at the hearing or in the wake of the hearing remains uncertain.
