Berkeley Votes on $2 Million Flock Expansion Tuesday

Drones, PTZ cameras, investigative software. The Police Accountability Board said slow down. The council is voting anyway.

TL;DR: On Tuesday, March 24 at 6 p.m., Berkeley's City Council votes on whether to expand its Flock Safety surveillance partnership to nearly $2 million. The package includes Drone as First Responder hardware, PTZ fixed surveillance cameras ($600K), investigative AI software ($75K), and renewed ALPR cameras ($660K). Berkeley's Police Accountability Board recommended delaying the vote over data retention and federal access concerns. Residents are worried about ICE accessing license plate data, the same fear that pushed Mountain View, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara County to terminate Flock contracts entirely. Berkeley already has 52 Flock cameras. Tuesday's vote decides whether that number grows.

What's in the Package

The March 24 agenda item breaks down into four contract amendments with Flock Safety:[1]

  • Drone as First Responder (DFR): Hardware, software, and services for police drones that can be dispatched remotely to 911 calls. Cost not specified in the agenda but part of the $2M total.
  • Condor PTZ Cameras: Fixed pan-tilt-zoom surveillance cameras. Initial four-year term: $310,000. With the three-year extension option: up to $600,000.
  • Flock Nova Software: AI-powered investigative tools for searching surveillance data. One-year term: $75,000.
  • ALPR Renewal: Continuation of Berkeley's existing 52 automated license plate readers. Two-year term: $330,000. With extension: up to $660,000.

Combined, this puts Berkeley's Flock tab at roughly $2 million over the next several years, all funneling through a single vendor that's been rejected by a growing list of Bay Area cities.[2]

The Police Accountability Board Wanted a Delay

On March 13, Berkeley's Police Accountability Board met to discuss the Flock expansion. Their recommendation: slow down.[3]

The board raised specific concerns:

  • Data retention periods: How long is plate data stored? Who sets those limits?
  • Federal access: Can ICE, FBI, or other federal agencies query Berkeley's camera data?
  • Single-vendor lock-in: Putting all surveillance hardware through Flock "significantly degrades the city's ability to negotiate privacy protections, conduct independent audits, manage data parameters or enforce limits."[2]

The PAB also opposed separate BPD use-of-force policy changes on the same meeting.[3] They recommended halting implementation. The council is voting on the Flock package anyway.

Residents Don't Trust the Safeguards

At a January community forum, Berkeley residents showed up to voice concerns. The through-line: data access.[4]

One attendee put it directly:

"It's about trusting the purpose of this and the eventual use of this, because again, as we see...things are being abused."

Immigration enforcement came up repeatedly. Can Flock data be shared with ICE? Berkeley Police Chief Jennifer Louis said no:

"We do not gather and share information to federal agencies for the purpose of immigration enforcement."

She also emphasized that external access requires case-by-case vetting by BPD.[4]

But that's what Mountain View said too. Then an audit found federal agencies (ATF, Air Force, GSA) had accessed their camera data for months without the city's knowledge. Mountain View terminated their Flock contract on February 24.[5]

The Bay Area Is Walking Away From Flock

Berkeley isn't operating in a vacuum. Here's what's happened around them in the past three months:

  • January 2026: Santa Cruz terminates Flock contract over federal access concerns
  • January 2026: Los Altos Hills terminates Flock contract
  • February 24, 2026: Mountain View council votes unanimously to end Flock partnership
  • February 25, 2026: Santa Clara County bans Flock by 3-2 vote. The sheriff's office can't even touch the cameras
  • March 10, 2026: San Jose council votes to block federal sharing and slash data retention
  • March 2026: Denver announces it won't renew its Flock contract, switching to a competitor without nationwide search

These cities canceled because they found out what Flock's "local control" actually meant. Berkeley is about to vote on expanding that same system.[5]

The Drone Question

Drones aren't just cameras with wings. Flock's Drone as First Responder (DFR) system lets police dispatch a drone to a 911 call before officers arrive. The idea: eyes on scene faster.

The problem: drones normalize aerial surveillance. Once they're deployed for emergencies, the scope creeps. Traffic monitoring. Crowd surveillance at protests. General patrol.

Berkeley hasn't published detailed policies on drone deployment restrictions. The PAB hasn't reviewed them. The vote is Tuesday.[2]

Flock Nova: The AI Layer

The $75,000 for Flock Nova software deserves attention. Nova is Flock's investigative platform that uses AI to search through surveillance data using natural language queries.[6]

Example: "landscaping trailer with a ladder" returns all plates matching that description from Flock's camera network.

Flock recently announced that police departments will soon be able to pull video, not just still photos, from ALPR cameras. Live feeds or 15-second clips of cars passing by.[6]

When you combine Nova's AI search with video capability and a drone fleet, you're not looking at license plate readers anymore. You're looking at a surveillance system that can track movement patterns, identify vehicles by description, and respond to incidents with aerial monitoring.

What You Can Do

Attend the Vote

March 24, 6 p.m. at Berkeley City Council. 1231 Addison St. The meeting is hybrid. You can also attend via Zoom. Public comment matters. Mountain View terminated because residents showed up.

Ask About Data Retention

How long will Berkeley store plate data? San Jose just cut retention to 30 days. What's Berkeley's policy? Is it in writing?

Demand Federal Access Audits

Mountain View didn't know feds were accessing their data until they audited. Ask Berkeley: have you audited Flock access logs? Will you publish results?

Question Drone Policies

What rules govern drone deployment? When can drones be used for non-emergency surveillance? Has the PAB reviewed these policies?

References

  1. Berkeley City Council Agenda - March 24, 2026
  2. Berkeleyside - From drones to video cameras, Berkeley police ask for more Flock surveillance tools (March 2026)
  3. The Daily Californian - PAB slams BPD use of force changes, raises concerns over drones and Flock contract (March 2026)
  4. KTVU - Berkeley police hear concerns as they consider expanding Flock Safety cameras, adding drones (January 2026)
  5. State of Surveillance - Silicon Valley Bans Flock Safety (March 2026)
  6. ACLU - Flock's Aggressive Expansions Go Far Beyond Simple Driver Surveillance (March 2026)

Published: March 22, 2026