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El Cerrito considering fining Flock for delay in removing cameras
Frustrated residents in El Cerrito are demanding action from Flock, meant to remove cameras by Monday, prompting city leaders to consider fining Flock for the delay.
EL CERRITO, Calif. - Residents in El Cerrito are demanding immediate action from surveillance corporation Flock as controversy grows over the company's delay in removing its cameras from city streets.
The backstory:
El Cerrito became the first East Bay city to completely terminate its contract with Flock and require the physical removal of the devices. The city council voted in May not to renew the contract, and the agreement officially ended in early June.
However, more than 70 days later, about half of the cameras remain scattered throughout the city.
"As we see it, those cameras should have been off and down immediately," said Nakiesha Koss, a member of the advocacy group "Flock Out of El Cerrito."
After the advocacy group posted a viral video showing the cameras still blinking, Flock promised to remove all remaining equipment by Aug. 18.
"At this point, there’s still 23 cameras that are up," Koss said. "Our privacy and data is not safe in the hands of private, for-profit companies."
The public reacts
What they're saying:
The delays have pushed some passionate community members to take matters into their own hands. Neighbors have begun turning cameras away from traffic, applying tape over them, and spray-painting lenses, with paint on a nearby sidewalk reading, "WHY IS IT STILL ON?"
While the "Flock Out" group does not condone vandalism, members are asking the city to step in and cover the lenses with bags until they are fully removed.
City spending resources on what is Flock's responsibility
What we know:
El Cerrito Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Saltzman expressed frustration with the company's lack of progress, stating that city leaders like the police chief and city manager are taking weekly inventory and speaking with Flock multiple times a week.
Saltzman noted that Flock "…made it near impossible for City staff to track the removal progress by sharing work orders that El Cerrito staff can't open because we no longer have an active account."
City leaders are now considering fining Flock for the continued delays.
‘Mistrust’ deepened, experts say
What's next:
Privacy experts say the failure to meet self-imposed deadlines only deepens public skepticism.
"There's a lot of questions around Flock in the first place," said Harry Maugans, a privacy expert and CEO of Privacy Bee. "So after they make a claim that the cameras will be removed by a certain date, and they are not removed, that obviously further fuels the mistrust."
In an email response to an inquiry about Flock's timeline, the company said it would "complete removal by the end of the week." However, some progress is underway; several cameras that were standing on Monday have since been taken down.
The Source: El Cerrito Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Saltzman, Flock Out El Cerrito advocacy group, previous KTVU reporting