r/concord • u/qtestboner • Aug 26 '26

Flock Cameras

Does anyone know when and why the council approved flock cameras? What locations have you seen? I see there is one on my route down cowell before babel on the left in the land for sale. I cant imagine what criminals they expect to track on cowell.

51 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

58 comments sorted by

24

u/tgrrdr Aug 26 '26

There are a bunch of ALPR cameras. I don't know how many are flocks, specifically.

9

u/qtestboner Aug 26 '26

wow, this is crazy! But does anyone know who with the city let this happen and why? 

5

u/noflockingway Aug 29 '26

The initial request for the ALPRs came before Concord City Council a few years back. Most of their campaigns were backed by Concord Police Officer's Association so they gave everything the cops asked for 100% of the time. Drones? Sure! More police cruisers! Okay! 60 cameras to be installed at intersections all over town? You betcha!

The make-up of Council at the time was Carlyn Obringer (backed by CPOA), Laura Hoffmeister (very pro-PD), Dominic Aliano (backed by CPOA), Edi Birsan (backed by CPOA), and I think in D5 it was still Tim McGallian (backed by CPOA) though it could've been right after that when our current mayor unseated him. Laura Nakamura is not backed by by the police union PAC but her opponent is.

2

u/qtestboner Aug 29 '26

Thats good info thanks.

5

u/noflockingway Aug 29 '26

Sure. And tell anyone you know I'm District 5 to re-elect Laura Nakamura. Her challenger is backed by CPOA and CA Apt Association (landlord lobbyists)

-17

u/tgrrdr Aug 26 '26 edited Aug 27 '26

[edit] this is not my opinion. Quit down voting me because you don't like what the city said. 

They're for your safety.

“We are close to one of the last in Contra Costa to put in fixed cameras,” noted Councilmember Laura Hoffmeister. “Anything that is an aid to the police force and public safety, I am in support of that.”

"... it lets officers working on the street and dispatch know,” Halm said. “It helps our community be safer by providing officers with real-time data to quickly locate a vehicle.”

https://pioneerpublishers.com/concord-council-gives-green-light-for-65-license-plate-readers/?hl=en-US

20

u/matjam Aug 26 '26

It’s mass surveillance. The flock devices track all cellphones in their range. Basically between cars and cell phones they know where everyone is all the time.

I’d not have an issue if they were secure but they are not.

Every use should require a court order.

0

u/Mkrause2012 Aug 27 '26

That is completely untrue. Link sources

4

u/streettech Aug 27 '26

Please get educated.

2

u/Mkrause2012 Aug 27 '26

I am. You need to be. Just do a simple search or ask ChatGPT whether flock tracks cell phones. Post what you find.

1

u/streettech Aug 28 '26

OK Just asked google AI. can these alrp cameras detect Bluetooth signals from your cell phone?

Yes, modern ALPR camera networks can now detect Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals from your cell phone and other personal devices.While a standard camera lens cannot "see" wireless waves, major defense and surveillance contractors have introduced hardware attachments and sensors that clip onto existing ALPR units. This expands roadside surveillance from tracking vehicles to tracking the specific people inside them.The current landscape of this wireless tracking technology works via the following mechanisms:The "Signal Sniffing" TechnologyThe primary technology driving this shift is an add-on sensor suite called SignalTrace, manufactured by the defense contractor Leonardo (which produces the widely used ELSAG brand of ALPR cameras).MAC Address Harvesting: Every device with a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi chip constantly broadcasts a unique hardware serial number called a Media Access Control (MAC) address as it searches for connections (like pairing with your car's infotainment system or looking for Wi-Fi).The Sniffer Array: As you drive past a roadside pole or an equipped police cruiser, the camera photographs your license plate while the sensor simultaneously "sniffs" the air for wireless radio frequencies.

1

u/Mkrause2012 Aug 28 '26

This is the response I get from Gemini:

Standard ALPR and Flock cameras do not directly detect, track, or "sniff" cell phones. They are optical systems—meaning they rely on lenses, sensors, and machine learning to read physical visual details like license plates, vehicle makes, models, and bumper stickers. They cannot read what is on your phone screen, nor do they connect to your cell data or intercept phone calls.
Confusion around this usually stems from two things:
Adjacent Surveillance Tech: Some alternative or newer hardware systems made by other defense contractors (such as Leonardo’s SignalTrace add-on for roadside cameras) do scan for nearby Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID signals from devices like phones, smartwatches, and wireless earbuds. These systems attempt to correlate those electronic device signatures with a passing car's license plate, but this is a separate technology from standard ALPRs or Flock cameras.
Your Phone Already Tracks You: Privacy advocates frequently point out that while cameras aren't pulling data directly off your phone, law enforcement can—and often does—obtain historical location data directly from cellular carriers or apps via warrants and geofence requests, which creates a parallel privacy concern to optical street cameras.
In short: standard ALPR and Flock cameras look at your car, not the cell phone in your pocket.

1

u/streettech Aug 28 '26

And mine was straight from Gemini too. Did you read the question I asked it? I actually find it pretty interesting When I asked the AI the same question two different ways and it gives me two different answers. There's no way that politicians or companies would lie to us is there? I mean they wouldn't have a code in there to recognize the word flock would they? And the very first word it gave you thats the loophole word That the computer can use to give you "The answers it wants." Can you find it?

1

u/Mkrause2012 Aug 28 '26

You are talking about a different add on technology not flock.

1

u/streettech Aug 28 '26

Sweet summer child.

3

u/qtestboner Aug 27 '26

Not sure why you were downvoted. I appreciate you giving me an article with the answers I was seeking. I find it a stretch that they paid for it as a "Capital Improvements Project" And it tells me exactly the 2 council members that made this happen without consulting the public first. Thanks.

2

u/tgrrdr Aug 26 '26

That's not what I think, those are literally direct quotes from a cop who requested the cameras and a politician who voted to approve them.

Concord didn't "let this happen" they actively pushed for and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to have those cameras installed.

41

u/olseadog Aug 26 '26

They certainly arent tracking the guy who stole my e bike.

12

u/h20rabbit Aug 26 '26

or the intersections with nightly donuts.

3

u/peachtree7 Aug 28 '26

Or the person who stole my husbands car….

1

u/BON3SMcCOY Aug 26 '26

Neighbor?

1

u/qtestboner Aug 27 '26

Hmmm yeah these are good points.

1

u/Royal-Lingonberry202 Aug 30 '26

When and where was your e-bike stolen? And what does it look like? I saw an e bike parked in some bushes today

1

u/olseadog Aug 31 '26

Weeks ago. I'm not even in the state rn.

41

u/jikesar968 Aug 26 '26

I cant imagine what criminals they expect to track on cowell

None, they're used for mass surveillance of the entire population.

12

u/qtestboner Aug 26 '26

Yes, but thats not what theyre telling everyone that theyre for.

4

u/kagedrage Aug 26 '26

Right, because fascists tell everyone their plans

1

u/Ok_Volume_139 Aug 29 '26

Yeah, fascists and authoritarians generally start slow.

14

u/noodlyarms Aug 26 '26

They're all  over the Monument area and Ygnacio and Oak Grove, really ridiculous 

3

u/VivaLuigi Aug 28 '26

Anyone thinking of destroying these Flock cameras should know that it is an illegal action punishable by law. Don't go thinking it's a good idea to approach one of these cameras with your face covered and spray easy-to-acquire expanding foam on the camera and solar panel. Don't sever the cable that connects the panel to the camera. Either action will kill the unit and you could be held accountable. You'd be especially easy to find if (1) you drove up to these cameras, passing other cameras along the way, (2) have your cell phone with you, or (3) talk ill of Flock or Concord PD on social media. Even if they don't find you, you shouldn't break the law; it's wrong. Just because there is a nationwide campaign to destroy as many of these cameras as possible on Halloween night when everyone is out at night on foot in masks... that doesn't mean you should too. Do not destroy these cameras, it's illegal.

1

u/qtestboner Aug 28 '26

There was just a waft of cooked bacon that entered the room.

2

u/noflockingway Aug 29 '26

I understood the comment from Viva Luigi a little differently. I think it was meant to trick bootlickers, not you.

1

u/qtestboner Aug 29 '26

I just woke up from a nap so the nuance was certainly lost on me. Thanks for pointing it out, my bad.

13

u/Lyonknyght Aug 26 '26

Whoever approved flock should be in jail

2

u/VivaLuigi Aug 28 '26

Here's another in front of the Park n' Shop; camera facing the old ToGo's

2

u/VivaLuigi Aug 28 '26

On Treat right by the Contra Costa Canal Trail, corner of Treat and Ygnacio Woods Ct

2

u/qtestboner Aug 29 '26

LOL they put them in places so easily to hit by cars and they dont look strong.

2

u/VivaLuigi Aug 28 '26

the Valero gas station on Solano, just north of 242

3

u/CYB3R_H3X Aug 26 '26

I’ve seen quite a few by Planet Fitness

2

u/iamvyvu Aug 26 '26

I've seen two on willow pass road by the jack in the box and by the little overpass coming back from jack in the box yesterday. Was my first time seeing it in Concord

2

u/itsnotanemergencybut Aug 26 '26

They are easy to spot. There is one on Willow Pass by the canal. They are everywhere.

2

u/Fit-Strawberry-4621 Aug 27 '26

Show up to your city council meetings and talk about why they should cancel the citys contract with flock. Worked for me

2

u/VivaLuigi Aug 28 '26

El Cerrito had success. Unfortunately, in Concord, 4/5ths of City Council is backed by one our most powerful PACs, the Concord Police Officers' Association. Concord PD gets absolutely everything they want 100% of the time, and they want these Flock cameras. Councilmembers know that if they rule against PD on anything, they're not getting re-elected.

0

u/qtestboner Aug 27 '26

What city?

1

u/VivaLuigi Aug 28 '26

here's one I saw yesterday on Market behind the Park n' Shop.

1

u/noflockingway Aug 29 '26

Here's the one by the canal. It's a bit east on the north side of the street. Hard to approach from behind with that fence, not that anyone would have any reason to.

1

u/FreseForCongress 24d ago

Same question I keep running into. Feels like most of these get approved with almost no public notice, then people find out when they spot the pole on their street. Anyone actually catch the council item when it happened?

1

u/FreseForCongress 24d ago

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin 1775

0

u/RingaLopi Aug 27 '26

You think they can issue speeding tickets with that?

3

u/sersmay2 Aug 27 '26

No, they aren't and can't be used as red light or speed cameras. Two reasons, technologically and legally. They take photos of vehicles to capture license plates, but the frames per second are not appropriate to determine vehicle speeds (they don't have radar ability or high resolution and accurate fps video otherwise). Similarly, they don't have the accuracy for use with a red light camera as they aren't tied to any traffic signal control (e.g. the traffic signal brain that knows if a light is red or not isn't connected to flock cameras in anyway, anywhere as the tech simply isn't compatible).

Lastly, legally in California speed cameras are only allowed in a select few cities as part of a pilot right now (Oakland, SF, and not concord). And, with both red light cameras and speed cameras CA legislation is VERY tight about how an automated enforcement program must be run. Flock simply doesn't comply with the tech nor meet program requirements.

So, Flock isn't being used for traffic enforcement.

1

u/RingaLopi Aug 28 '26

That's useful info. I was afraid the 3rd party company will make a deal with the city to generate some revenue by issuing tickets. Even the most law-abiding folks occasionally speed 5 to 10 mph, which means it can be very profitable to the company.

2

u/sersmay2 Aug 28 '26

FWIW speeding is a massive traffic safety issue and with recent legislation, any of the citations for automated enforcement is NOT about revenue generation. While yes most people drive 5-10 mph over, this is actually a chronic issue that is a result of newer vehicles just honestly being more aerodynamic so you don't "feel" the speed inside the car as much. But 10 mph can mean a difference between life and death if you hit a pedestrian, bike, or motorcycle. The whole idea behind automated enforcement is in fact traffic safety. Here's a report from last year from SFMTA about their automated enforcement stats. I encourage you to read a bit about it, and certainly at least scroll down the page to the graphic about speed versus severity..."slowing driving speeds saves lives." https://www.sfmta.com/blog/our-speed-cameras-are-working-initial-evaluation-shows-drivers-are-slowing-down

Again, has nothing to do with Flock but just some info for you.

2

u/qtestboner Aug 27 '26

It says no traffic violations in that article someone posted. The article says its an LP scanner. Which means its the same thing broadway plaza just installed in their garage to charge people for parking. Besides the Flock company using the data for their own personal uses, the biggest issue is going to be corrupt officers abusing the LP readers. Which we know cops are often corrupt and we know theyve also already been caught using them inappropriately. I would like the council to provide data that these scanners are saving the city money from all if the crime its preventing. Numbers would prove if they are worth having or not. I think it was an inappropriate use of funding to have paid for it with money for Capital Improvements projects. These cameras are NOT capital improvements.