On Wednesday, the San Francisco Democratic Party’s 31‑member committee met to consider two competing resolutions regarding the city’s network of Flock surveillance cameras. The cameras, which include automated license‑plate readers, are already deployed throughout the city and have been the subject of recent privacy scrutiny.
Committee vote
Committee chair Nancy Tung and District 6 Supervisor and former police spokesperson Matt Dorsey introduced a resolution affirming confidence in the current use of Flock cameras. The measure received 11 votes in favor, four members abstained, and three voted against.
Former District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar offered an alternative resolution that would have required the city to impose stricter safeguards on the automated license‑plate readers and to consider suspending the contract with Flock. Mar’s proposal was rejected.
Privacy concerns and data breaches
Both sides acknowledged that the city’s Flock camera data was accessed illegally more than 1.6 million times in 2024 and 2025. Many of those unauthorized searches were conducted by out‑of‑state agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The San Francisco Police Department recently disclosed that roughly 300 illegal out‑of‑state searches occurred in the past year alone.
Committee member Patrick Boileau voiced the tension many residents feel: “I’ve got some real concerns about privacy. I’ve got some real concerns about surveillance. But I’ve also got some concerns about crime.”
Conflict‑of‑interest questions
Two committee members, Lily Ho and Trevor Chandler, are employees of Flock. Their votes were counted despite the lack of a formal conflict‑of‑interest rule for this issue. When Mar raised the matter, committee chair Tung noted that the committee does not have such rules, and the votes stood.
Broader regional context
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, several municipalities have already disabled their Flock cameras and are moving to terminate contracts after reports of repeated unauthorized access by federal and state agencies. San Francisco’s debate reflects a wider regional conversation about balancing public‑safety benefits with privacy protections.
Future city actions
While the Democratic Committee’s resolutions are advisory, they can influence party members and elected officials. The Board of Supervisors, which includes several committee members, is expected to consider the city’s Flock contract renewal in February 2027. Supervisors Connie Chan, Bilal Mahmood, and Matt Dorsey will be part of that deliberation.
The outcome of that future vote will determine whether San Francisco continues to rely on the Flock system or seeks alternative surveillance solutions that address the documented privacy concerns.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
