San Diego City Council votes to end Flock camera contract, heads closer to full approval

Wednesday's decision must be confirmed by the full City Council, but the tide has shifted in that body since it approved the controversial contract in 2023 and several times since.

Councilman Stephen Whitburn, who voted multiple times for the Flock contract and ALPR technology, changed course earlier this month, saying they are causing too much fear in local communities. His change could be enough to push the council to a 5-4 majority in favor of terminating the contract.

Until now, I have voted in favor of the cameras as a matter of public safety," he said on Oct. 13. "They have helped solve crimes, and I believe our police department uses them responsibly. The Trump administration and ICE and their un-American, anti-immigrant brutality have created a police state in many of our communities. Many people worry Flock cameras are being used in that crackdown.

Families are afraid of being separated. Workers are afraid of being targeted on their way to work. Parents are afraid of what could happen when they take their children to school," Whitburn added. "American citizens have been detained. These are our neighbors, and they deserve to feel safe in their own city."