The Richmond, California, City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to approve parts of a police technology package and leave out automated license plate readers. ContraCosta.news reported that Mayor Eduardo Martinez and Councilmember Sue Wilson voted no, and that the plate reader portion will come back in October.
The item was an amendment with Axon Enterprises to service body-worn cameras, tasers, interview room equipment and virtual reality training gear. It also covered a contract with Assure MSP for Verkada camera equipment at city facilities, capped at $500,000.
What did the council approve?
- The Axon amendment raises the contract by $3,500,000, to a total not to exceed $12,000,000.
- The term runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2029, with two one-year extension options to Sept. 30, 2031.
- The plate reader portion was pulled out of the vote and sent back for more review.
Staff said the council was not being asked to approve a new $12 million expense. The added money, about $3.5 million, covers plate reader, CCTV and drone equipment added to an existing Axon agreement.
Why were the plate readers split off?
Councilmember Soheila Bana proposed approving everything except the plate reader part, and the council adopted that approach. City Attorney Shannon Moore said the contract would stay the same, but the plate reader portion would become a separate contract.
Vice Mayor Doria Robinson asked for more time. She wanted to understand the data and when the cameras are used, and she said she was not convinced cameras prevent crime. A motion by Councilmember Cesar Zepeda to approve the whole contract as is failed on a 2-5 vote.
Is Axon different from Flock?
Police Chief Tim Simmons defended the move from Flock Safety to Axon. He said Richmond's Flock system starts with sharing turned on, which must be restricted through settings, while the Axon system starts closed and needs an administrator to act before another agency can get access.
Simmons said Axon would have no standing access to Richmond's plate reader data. He also pointed to monthly ALPR audit logs given to Richmond's Community Police Review Commission. City staff scored Axon at 229 out of 300 points against 209 for Flock, with price making up 30% of the score.
Under the Axon plan, the city would own both the cameras and its data. Councilmember Jamelia Brown confirmed the city has 110 plate reader cameras, and Simmons confirmed a switch would be camera for camera.
How long would the data be kept?
Under the proposed system, ALPR and CCTV data would generally be deleted after 30 days. Information used as evidence would be kept with the case file.
Simmons said each search requires a crime and a case number. He also said the department uses plate reader data in investigations of homicides, assaults, missing persons and property crimes.
Robinson said the department has 13 detectives for the whole city. Simmons said the backlog of cases is in the hundreds, or closed for lack of leads.
What changes for drivers?
This vote covers Richmond's contracts only. Richmond currently leases Flock equipment, and the council did not approve the plate reader contract with Axon, so the city has not switched yet.
Simmons did not claim the readers reduce crime. "I would not stand here on business and say that that ALPR is going to reduce crime." Separately, Councilmembers Jimenez and Wilson and Vice Mayor Robinson asked for a report linking plate reader arrests to prosecution outcomes. That study, through Police Strategies LLC, would cost $20k, which is not currently funded. ContraCosta.news does not say whether it was approved.
The plate reader portion comes back in October. ContraCosta.news does not give a date for that meeting. For background on the technology, read how plate readers work, and for the map of cameras, see the camera map.