The Marina City Council agreed on a contract with Flock Safety for a drone and mobile camera trailer, a move police say will enhance public safety despite concerns over the possibility of increased government surveillance.
The unanimous vote, taken just after midnight on June 17, approved a three-year contract worth $150,000 for a drone and related hardware and training. It also included a one-year deal for $25,000 for a camera-mounted trailer that can be deployed at various places.
Flock Safety runs a network of automated license plate reader cameras across the country. Those include more than 300 cameras in Monterey County.
Some jurisdictions across the state have canceled their contracts with Flock Safety over concerns that data collected by the cameras has been inadvertently shared with out-of-state and federal agencies, in violation of state law.
The contract was originally on the council’s consent agenda, where multiple items are approved all at once with no discussion.
But Nolan Aragon of Marina spoke at the beginning of the meeting’s public comment session, calling for a more detailed discussion of the contract, listing out a number of questions he wanted answers to.
“Unlike fixed cameras or license plate readers, drone technology introduces an entirely different level of government surveillance capacity,” he said. “Drones can observe neighborhoods from above, monitor activities over large geographic areas and collect video footage of residents who are not suspected of any crime.”
The council agreed to move the contract off the consent agenda and discuss it at the end of the meeting.
Police Chief Randy Hopkins said the drone allows officers to gather information on an emergency situation before they arrive to the scene.
Under the police department’s policy, each time the drone is used, it must be approved by the chief or a commander, and its use must be documented by outlining the objective, flight time and other factors.
“This ensures that deployments are tied to defined call types and documented approval, and just not a casual or continuous patrol,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins added that while the drone may be used in areas where there’s a public safety need, such as at parks or events, “we are not authorized to hover over backyards or record inside residences without a warrant or emergency.”
“We will not use the drone to monitor lawful First Amendment-protected activity or target people based on race, religion or protected characteristics,” he said.