San Mateo Daily Journal reported that the City Council voted 4-1 on Oct. 5 to accept a contract with Axon Enterprise for automated license plate readers, or ALPRs. Mayor Adam Loraine cast the only no vote.
The contract is an eight-year purchase agreement with a one-year free trial. Payments start in June 2028. During the trial, the San Mateo Police Department will put Axon readers at the same locations as its current Flock Safety cameras and compare the two systems side by side. Police expect to pick a provider within six to nine months.
Will Axon replace the Flock cameras?
Not yet. The Daily Journal does not say whether Axon will phase out the city's Flock cameras. Police Chief Ed Barberini called the deal "unique" and said it lets the department offer the city all of the available products.
Barberini also said: "We have taken a very responsible approach to ALPR data in the city."
The trial follows a civil grand jury report issued Aug. 3. That report found deficiencies in the city's Flock system and warned that unauthorized data access and insufficient oversight are still a concern.
What did the council decide?
- The council unanimously accepted its response to the grand jury report.
- The Axon contract passed 4-1, with Loraine opposed.
- Councilmembers Nicole Fernandez and Lisa Diaz Nash agreed to move forward on one condition: the city schedules a town hall meeting by the start of the new year.
Loraine weighed tabling the contract for at least another month to make time for additional community outreach. He worried the terms might change. Chief Barberini and Councilmember Rob Newsom argued against waiting, because the longer the city waits, the greater the chance it may lose the free trial. Newsom said the contract is open-ended and the city has a full year to decide whether to continue.
Several residents and activists asked the city to stop using plate readers altogether and objected to bringing in another vendor. Emily Morris, a San Mateo resident and member of Safety Over Surveillance San Mateo County, said the city should not rush into a new vendor before it has safeguards in place. Kimberly Woo, a resident and SOS member, said switching vendors would make no difference to data privacy.
What does the contract cost?
- The Axon plate reader purchase costs a little over $1.4 million.
- The cumulative total, including the current contract, is more than $8.4 million.
- If continued, the Axon contract expires in June 2034.
The Daily Journal does not say how many Axon readers the city will buy.
What changes for drivers?
During the trial, Axon readers go at the same spots as the current Flock cameras. The Daily Journal does not say what happens to those locations if Axon is chosen.
Plate readers run by other cities, the county, a business or an HOA are not covered by this vote. To see where San Mateo's readers are now, check the camera map. For background on how these systems work, read how plate readers work.
What happens next?
The city has to schedule its town hall before the new year. Police expect to identify the most suitable provider within six to nine months.