Fresno residents oppose Flock surveillance cameras at packed community forum

More than 50 Fresno residents attended a community forum Monday night at the Ted C. Wills Center to voice concerns about the Fresno Police Department’s use of Flock surveillance cameras, with speakers overwhelmingly opposing the city’s continued use of the system.

The cameras capture images of vehicles and license plates to help law enforcement identify and track suspects connected to crimes. Approximately 70 cameras have been installed in locations the department identified as having elevated risks for violent crime.

Residents argued the technology threatens personal privacy and should be removed. “You have asked our opinion on Flock, and we have made it resoundingly known. I hope you make the right choice and end the contract with Flock and remove the cameras,” one resident said.

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Critics expressed concerns that the technology could be used to monitor travel patterns or collect additional personal information. “This is very pervasive surveillance, and there’s, you know, nothing regulating it…” said activist Chris Whipper.

Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto defended the program, citing its role in criminal investigations. According to the department, Flock cameras were used in 79% of homicide cases and 39% of shooting investigations over the past year. “I would hate to have a tool available to us that we don’t use to bring justice to those families in Fresno,” Casto said.

Casto told attendees that the system does not use facial recognition and emphasized restrictions on data sharing. According to the department, information gathered through the cameras can only be shared with 24 other California law enforcement agencies, which must provide written justification when requesting data from Fresno.

Department officials said they conduct monthly audits of camera usage. Casto said the department is exploring whether those audits can be made public to provide residents with greater transparency.

The local debate comes as Flock technology has faced scrutiny elsewhere. The Los Angeles Police Department ended its contract with Flock following concerns about privacy and surveillance. In Texas, a sheriff’s office lieutenant recently acknowledged using Flock cameras outside official law enforcement duties.

The Breakdown

• Fresno has approximately 70 Flock surveillance cameras installed in locations with elevated violent crime risks
• The cameras capture vehicle images and license plates to help identify suspects
• The department used camera data in 79% of homicide cases and 39% of shooting investigations over the past year
• The system does not use facial recognition
• Camera data can only be shared with 24 other California law enforcement agencies that provide written justification
• The department conducts monthly audits of camera usage and is exploring making those audits public

What This Means for You

If you drive through areas where Flock cameras are installed in Fresno, your vehicle and license plate are being recorded and stored in a database accessible to police and two dozen other California law enforcement agencies. The community forum showed strong resident opposition to the program, but the police department has indicated it plans to continue using the technology while exploring increased transparency through public audits.