Sheng Thao works with Chief, Privacy Commission, and Council to Pass ALPR Compromise

COUNCIL PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE SHENG THAO ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT BETWEEN OPD AND PRIVACY COMMISSION ON AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READER ORDINANCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 10/18/2022

Press Contact:
Brandon Harami, Council Aide
bharami@Oaklanca.gov

Oakland, California - At today’s Oakland City Council meeting Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao introduced and passed a compromise agreement that will continue the use of automatic license plate readers by the Oakland Police Department while improving and maintaining privacy standards. The agreement allows OPD to store data for 6 months, and requires quarterly report backs to ensure we are in compliance with local and state law while giving our officers the resources and tools they need to investigate and solve crime.

Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao States: “I am very grateful for the partnership of both Chief Armstrong and our Privacy Commission Chair Hofer for working with me to develop an agreement that both acknowledges the need for crime fighting tools and acknowledges the need for privacy and adherence to state law. This agreement shows that we can work together to improve public safety and move Oakland forward”.

“I am grateful for our hard-working police Chief and our volunteer Privacy Commissioners for coming to the table with me to do just that.”

Oakland Police Chief Leronne Armstrong stated in the meeting: “The Oakland Police Department believes license plate readers are an important and essential tool in our ability to capture perpetrators and reduce crime.

This compromise was essential in helping the Oakland Police Department and Privacy Advisory Commision work out an agreement that I believe will allow OPD to do its job and protect privacy concerns. It is a balanced agreement that protects public safety and I welcome the opportunity to continue in this spirit of working with stakeholders to move the city forward.

The best way for Oakland to solve its problems, improve public safety, and reduce crime is by working together and I’m committed to that. Today was a step in the right direction.”

Oakland Privacy Commission Chair Brian Hofer States:

“I’d like to thank Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao and Councilmember Fife, Chair of Public Safety, for their leadership navigating this difficult discussion and negotiating this compromise, and for acknowledging that any surveillance technology must be regulated and subject to civilian oversight, and that meaningful guardrails and accountability measures are in place to ensure that we use the technology to improve public safety in a manner that does not violate our human and civil rights. The Council’s adoption of Pro Tempore Sheng Thao’s amended policy achieves these goals.”

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