Berkeley delays vote on $2M Flock surveillance expansion

BERKELEY, Calif. - Berkeley is postponing a decision on whether to expand and renew its contract with the Flock surveillance system after a marathon city council meeting.

The council had been scheduled to vote Tuesday night but pushed the decision to a special meeting set for June 2 after too many residents sought to speak. The meeting went until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Berkeley police are seeking a $2 million expansion of the city's partnership with Flock, which would include renewing existing license plate readers, adding three new Flock drones and installing 16 fixed cameras.

Police Chief Jen Louis sought to address privacy concerns surrounding the proposal.

"On privacy, our draft policies are clear — drones are deployed only for specific calls for service, not for random patrols, and cameras face the horizon when they're in transit and only orient downward once they're at an authorized scene," Louis said.

Berkeley fire officials also voiced support for the program, saying drone footage from the Flock system assisted crews during a recent fire on University Avenue.