I was incorrect in saying there don’t seem to be automated license plate readers (ALPR) in the City of Sacramento. I was looking at a map that showed only Flock cameras, and the ones in the city are not Flock. I think they are Motorola L5F devices. In looking at the devices at J Street and 5th Street, I looked up the pole, but failed to look far enough up, and out on the street light mast arm, which is where several cameras are. The DeFlock app shows all ALPRs, Flock and other brands. I checked two other locations that are in the app, and they have the same cameras. The locations also have video cameras with a dome shape.

The first photo below is a Motorola L5F camera at J Street and 10th Street. The second photo shows multiple devices all in one location, none of which seem to this camera. I don’t know what they are all for. It is possible some are for traffic, not surveillance.

It appears that I was also incorrect that SacPD ShotSpotters are only listening devices. At least some of them, maybe all of them, have cameras on the bottom.

My apologies for missing and minimizing the prevalence of surveillance devices in our city.

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I recently noticed anti-Flock signs at J Street and 5th Street in the City of Sacramento. This made me wonder if the identification as a Flock camera was accurate. It appears not.

If you look the the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) website and map, it appears that the Flock camera in Sacramento county are in unincorporated Sacramento County and Elk Grove. In the region, Roseville and Rocklin in Placer county have a number, and there are a few in Davis and Woodland in Yolo county. None in the City of Sacramento. Note that this map is very hard to use, but it is still useful.

The device on the pole above is a SacPD ShotSpotter, which is not a camera, but a listening device intended to identify and pinpoint gun shots. The only criticism that I have noted of ShotSpotters is that they are expensive and ineffective, mis-identifying sounds, and often resulting in too-late arrivals of law enforcement. By the way, the blank out ‘no left on red’ and ‘turning vehicles yield to pedestrians’ sign below the ShotSpotter is an attempt by the city to reduce the likelihood of drivers running over walkers at this dangerous intersection. I have not had the chance to observe this one in operation, but will.

I am in no way minimizing the concerns of the anti-Flock movement (flockout and others). Flock is a disreputable company, and the data gathered has been misused by law enforcement everywhere it is installed.

My concern is that the public’s opposition to Flock cameras, and similar license plate readers from other companies, will be used as an excuse by drivers and organizations who do not want automated speed enforcement and automated red light enforcement to be installed anywhere. These are people who would rather others die in traffic violence, than that their ‘privacy’ be invaded by any type of enforcement.

So, please, anti-Flock people, learn about the different types of devices and their uses, and then correctly identify Flock locations. Don’t label other devices as Flocks.