After months of deliberation, and at times controversy, the San Diego City Council has given its final approval to a police surveillance network that will cost $12 million over the next five years.
The network, made up of 500 cameras equipped with license plate reader technology, could be placed across San Diego as early as January. Police, touting the technology as a crime-fighting tool and a force multiplier, say the cameras will be installed in public places where there is no expectation of privacy. Investigators will not monitor the network in real time but instead review the footage and data collected after serious crimes or incidents occur.
The technology has prompted fierce pushback from some privacy advocates, who say that the contract and policies governing the technology’s use don’t do enough to safeguard privacy or the data collected, and that funding for the project would be better spent on other public safety initiatives.
Despite concerns, the City Council approved the technology’s use in August and last week approved the contract with Ubicquia, the company providing the cameras. A second company, Flock, will be providing the license plate reader technology, called ALPR for short, and will be a sort of subcontractor in the agreement, police officials said.
The contract’s approval is the final step in an eight-month process that has included 17 public meetings. San Diego will spend about $3.5 million in fiscal 2024 on hardware, software and connectivity; $1.5 million for installation and maintenance over the life of the contract; and $100,000 to replace the LED lights. The network will cost about $2 million annually over the remaining fiscal years.
Critics are concerned that the department wasn’t doing enough to properly weigh and integrate recommendations provided by the city Privacy Advisory Board, a volunteer oversight group created by San Diego’s new surveillance law that is tasked with evaluating the city’s use of technologies.
Several community organizations, including the Privacy Advisory Board, submitted a list of recommended changes to the contract that council members considered. Many of those suggestions centered on better safeguarding data collected by the network, including controlling how Ubicquia can engage with information that’s collected — such as to whom the company can give data and how they can access what’s collected.
None of the recommendations were implemented, although police leaders argued some of the recommendations were already present in the contract. Police leaders have said several times that the data collected will not be sold, nor will it be shared unless compelled by a search warrant, subpoena or other court order.
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