en.Wedoany.com Reported - City officials in Stockton, California, have approved a $3.15 million drone expansion program for public safety purposes, sparking strong public backlash over surveillance and privacy concerns. The program involves the procurement of drones manufactured by Flock, a company that has previously provided automatic license plate readers to the city. These drones are designed as aerial first responders, enabling police to assess a 911 call scene within 30 seconds.
According to a report by Stocktonia, advocates of the program claim that officers will arrive at scenes with more comprehensive information, and some incidents can be handled remotely. Police Lieutenant David Padula stated when the agreement was approved that this program will enhance existing capabilities, enabling rapid deployment and providing real-time updates to officers on the ground. However, residents have expressed concerns over issues such as privacy, immigration enforcement, and mass surveillance, regarding how the drones are used and how the collected data is stored and shared.
These drones have not been widely deployed in the United States, but active programs exist in several cities in Texas, Indiana, and Connecticut. In contrast, license plate readers are more widely used, with over 100,000 currently in operation.
Local activist group "The Stockton Community Check-In Booth" issued a statement following the council's decision, noting that this move sends the wrong signal to residents, suggesting that the city continues to invest in militarization and surveillance while residents bear the economic impact. John McBride, the Republican congressional candidate for Stockton, called this use "a complete violation of privacy" and pointed out that because data from Flock cameras is controlled by a private organization, the public cannot access information about data collection through the Freedom of Information Act.
Flock stated that local agencies remain in control of the data, that the company does not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and that federal agencies are prohibited from discovering or querying data held by Stockton. Drone flight records are displayed on a public-facing dashboard, and the Stockton Police Department will have full ownership of the collected data. However, the company has previously shared access with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Colorado and Illinois, although it claims to have ceased this practice. In Texas, police used Flock's camera network to track the whereabouts of a woman seeking an abortion. In Mountain View, California, a Flock camera network was recently abandoned due to concerns over unauthorized access.
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