By admin 
Auburn residents will have a chance Monday night to put their questions about the city’s Flock license plate reader cameras directly to police and city officials.
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The city is hosting a community town hall Sept. 21 focused on automated license plate recognition technology used by the Auburn Police Department.
The Community Workshop on Automatic License Plate Recognition Technology begins at 6 p.m. in the Rose Room at Auburn City Hall, 1225 Lincoln Way.
Police officials said the meeting is intended to give the community a closer look at how the cameras work, how the technology may be used by law enforcement and what policies and safeguards are in place to protect privacy and ensure responsible use.
Residents will also have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. No formal action will be taken at the meeting. Instead, city staff will provide information and gather public input.
The discussion comes as other cities in the capital region have reconsidered their use of Flock cameras amid concerns about privacy, data sharing and the expanding capabilities of the technology.
Folsom plans to discontinue its use of Flock cameras while continuing to use other license plate-reading technology, two City Council members told The Sacramento Bee on Monday. Grass Valley police indefinitely suspended their automated license plate reader program in August following a 60-day review.
Elk Grove, meanwhile, has continued using its Flock system while defending the technology and updating policies governing access to vehicle data. Police officials told the City Council last week that the department had tightened data-sharing practices and was standardizing its auditing procedures following concerns raised by a local advocacy group.
The town hall in Auburn, which has about one-fifth as many Flock cameras as Elk Grove, also comes after months of increased attention on the city’s Flock camera network, including concerns raised at a City Council meeting and the theft of three license plate reader cameras earlier this year.
Auburn’s ALPR program dates to 2018 and has since expanded to 19 cameras through agreements with Flock Safety. The city’s current 60-month agreement expires in June 2028.
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City officials are setting aside the town hall for residents to learn more about the technology and question how it is being used in their community.
Cameras stolen and recovered
Earlier this year, three of Auburn’s Flock cameras were stolen after someone disabled the devices and dumped them in a canal, according to previous Bee reporting.
Police later recovered the cameras.
The devices had been located at Nevada Street and Nevada Way, Highway 49 and Margaret Mine Road, and Highway 49 and Nevada Street.
The incident brought additional attention to Auburn’s license plate reader system as residents continued raising questions about the technology.
Residents have raised concerns
At an Auburn City Council meeting in August, Flock cameras became a major topic during public comment, despite not being listed as a formal agenda item.
Residents filled the room and raised concerns about the city’s use of automated license plate recognition technology.
Mayor Kelley Davis said she appreciates community members bringing their concerns forward and looks forward to hearing more at the upcoming town hall.
“It is important for everyone to understand how this technology is being used in the city of Auburn and for that information to come to the City Council and the public in a space we can all hear it and have the opportunity to ask questions,” she said.
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