From: Meredith Hoskin
To: City Clerk; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella; John Knox White; Eric Levitt Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: 6-A Police Department Policy for Fixed Automatic License Plate Technology Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 4:31:45 PM
To Alameda Mayor and City Councilmembers,
I am writing to comment on item 6-A on tonight’s agenda regarding the Police Department Policy for Fixed Automatic License Plate Technology.
Two items missing from the policy are oversight and measurement.
First, there should be more oversight from outside the police department that the ALPRs are being used only in a manner approved by City Council and in compliance with the final policy. A third-party expert not affiliated with the police department should be incorporated into the “proposed annual browsing audits.” This third party should also be granted the authority to conduct regular check-ins to ensure there isn’t any misuse of these devices or data. Any resulting reports from the audits or check- ins should promptly be made available to the public.
Second, there should be an evaluation of the effectiveness of the ALPRs after one and two years, to determine if the City should continue funding or using them. This evaluation should also be conducted by a third-party expert not affiliated with APD, otherwise, you basically have APD evaluating the effectiveness of its own proposal.
This additional community oversight and evaluation could help alleviate some of the concerns from Alameda community members, like myself, who are concerned about the effectiveness and cost at the risk of our privacy and the potential for abuse of the surveillance.
As a reminder, community oversight was among the recommendations from the Police Reform and Racial Equity committees that were previously supported and approved by the City Council.
Thank you.
Meredith Hoskin
Alameda Resident
From: Savanna Cheer
To: Tony Daysog; John Knox White; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; City Clerk; Lara Weisiger Cc: Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 6-A: ALPR policy
Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 4:02:49 PM
Hello:
I'm writing regarding the ALPR policy that is coming up on this evening's council agenda, item 6-A. It should be noted, yet again, that although there was significant community safety and efficacy concerns towards the ALPR, you went ahead with them any way. At this point, the least you can do is commit to a thorough and attentive look at any policy parameters around this questionably effective technology. Please consider the following points:
Long-term cost: This should come from APD’s existing budget, there should not be additional funds allocated to APD to cover this pilot program.
Long-term data storage: Who owns the footage from these cameras? Who has access to it once it’s uploaded to evidence [dot] com? Once it’s stored, can it be edited? Can data storage time be 60 days and not 90 days? Each of these questions should be answered in depth and fully within the policy language.
Policy language that reads, “Become evidence." We need parameters that define “reasonable” - as written, “reasonable” is too broad and could be anything - further eroding the community’s trust.
How will APD ensure that authorized users are adhering to the policy? What are the consequences of unauthorized or inappropriate use?
What specific type of training will these users undergo? If it's not in place, you should not be installing the cameras. FULL STOP. APD has a pretty horrific track record sticking to whatever training they're getting so you should probably be checking them on this.
Pilot measurement: By what criteria will you measure this pilot to determine if it will be implemented long-term or if ALPR usage will be discontinued? Define this ahead of time so it’s clear why the program is - or is not - adopted.
I hope to hear all of these points addressed tonight and most importantly, I hope that no automated license plate readers of any kind will be installed until there is this thorough examination of the best, most protective policy available.
Thank you,
Savanna Cheer
From: Alexia Arocha-Bergquist
To: City Clerk; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; John Knox White; Manager Manager; Trish Spencer; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft Subject: [EXTERNAL] Items 6A and 7B
Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 2:48:22 PM
Dear Mayor Ezzy-Ashcraft and all,
I am writing regarding tonight’s city council meeting and I’m mid-international so please excuse this email’s brevity.
Item 6A:
I strongly oppose the fixed ALPR proposal. First, as an attorney, I know all too well how malleable and subjective the term “reasonable” can be and it should be very clearly defined. Second, since APD already takes almost 1/3 the entire city’s funding, this should come from their budget if it is to happen at all. Third, I strongly urge you to read the important studies done on how these aren’t accurate, invoke obvious biases, and are costly with little to gain. As someone who has had their catalytic converter stolen 3x even I oppose this and do not see this to be any sort of realistic solution. I also have concerns regarding data storage, vague training, and not clearly outlined protocol for the pilot (eg- it’s temporal existence, measurements of accountability, what triggers a shut down, etc.).
Item 7B:
I have always supported the CARE pilot program, but what is happening is not what was promised or asked for.
How can this be called a police free response if police are indeed going out to the calls? Whether they sit in their car is irrelevant if they are seen and known to be attending these calls as backup. It defeats the purpose entirely and the community has a right to transparency and data around this. Also, where is the community advisory board? Will folks be cherry picked or can they apply? Will it involve folks with actual lived experience? Will it entail a more detailed and accessible process than the steering committee had? These questions need to be answered.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Alexia Arocha
Sent from my iPhone
From: Ashley Gregory
To: City Clerk
Cc: Manager Manager; Trish Spencer; John Knox White; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Items 6-A and 7-B
Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 1:53:18 PM
Dear City Clerk, Councilmembers and City Manager:
I am writing to voice
my concerns about the APD policy for Fixed Automatic License Plate Readers. Given the concerns
many of our community members have voiced, I believe it prudent for APD to be clear in addressing the following questions:
Why is data stored for 90 days vs 60 days?
Who determines what might become evidence? What are the official parameters for that distinction?
What is the cost of long term storage? Who actually owns the footage under that agreement? Who can access footage once uploaded to
evidence.com?
And, is footage able to be edited once stored?
The policy document mentions: “Department-approved training for those authorized to use or access the ALPR system.” Residents and visitors of Alameda have a right to know what that training entails! Are there pre- determined courses or vendors that offer training on usage of this technology?
As this is a pilot program, the auditing of data should be monthly, not yearly and at the very least quarterly. What happenings would trigger an end to the pilot? Data misuse? Lack of improvement in clearance rates? Expensive repair costs? In regards to the CARE team, as a mental health professional who has seen first hand the harm police-involvement has in escalating mental health crises, I am extremely concerned about this program's ability to truly be the alternative intervention so many community members imagined it would be. I request that the council address the status of the community advisory board. Also, what data is
available for how involved APD has been in responding to calls for the CARE Team? Does APD go out on every call and if so, what is the plan to reduce police-community interactions as is the intention of the program?
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Ashley Gregory
From: Laura Cutrona
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; John Knox White; Trish Spencer; Manager Manager Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 6-A: Add specifics to APD Policy for Fixed Automatic License Plate Technology Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2022 12:07:31 PM
Dear City Council, Madame Mayor, and City Manager:
As you review and decide upon a policy for APD’s fixed automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, item 6-A, I ask that you make the following considerations:
“Become evidence”: We need parameters that define “reasonable” - as written, “reasonable” is too broad and could be anything - further eroding the community’s trust
Long-term cost: This should come from APD’s existing budget, it should not be additional funds allocated to APD
Long-term storage: Who owns the footage? Who has access to it once it’s uploaded to evidence/com? Once it’s stored, can it be edited? Authorized users: Who is considered an “authorized user”? How will APD ensure that authorized users are adhering to the policy? What are the consequences of unauthorized or inappropriate use?
Training: What type of training will these users undergo? Pilot measurement: By what criteria will you measure this pilot to determine if it will be implemented long-term or if ALPR usage will be discontinued? Define this ahead of time so it’s clear why the program is - or is not - adopted.
Data monitoring: Given this is a pilot program, the data should be monitored more closely - monthly or quarterly - to help measure and understand whether ALPRs are having the intended impact as defined by the pilot’s criteria Data storage: Can this be 60 days and not 90 days? What’s the benefit of 90 days?
This program is expensive - in terms of funding and (eroded) trust from an increasingly surveilled community. I ask that you exercise diligence and make the areas above more explicit to ensure rigor in implementation and a true cost-benefit analysis of effectiveness before widespread adoption.
Thank you,
Laura
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Full implementation of ALPERS- YES Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 10:36:12 AM
Attachments: Gun pointing at slower car on Bayview Drive.png ---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Karp/USA <[email protected]>
Date: Mar 11, 2022 10:41 AM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Full implementation of ALPERS- YES
To: John Knox White <[email protected]>,Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>,[email protected],Tony Daysog <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]> Cc: Nishant Joshi <[email protected]>,Zack Davis
<[email protected]>,[email protected]
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and City Council Members:
I am writing to ask you to support of FULL implementation of the recently approved ALPERS system for the Alameda Police Department. As the Treasurer and past President of the 175 home Bayview Estates Homeowner’s Association, our neighborhood has experienced numerous criminal acts over the last few years that include everything from burglaries, home invasions, catalytic converter thefts, automobile thefts, and more recently, a video, timestamped clip attached, of a clear threat of lethal violence by one motorist against another, but which could have easily and tragically become a homeowner, child, pedestrian or bicyclist along Bayview Drive.
The attached clip of this incident occurred on 2/28/2022 at around 4:00PM. This neighborhood supports ALPERS, understands the utility of it as a tool and is even considering deploying its own “ALPERS” to assist APD in tracking down perpetrators of the crimes committed in our neighborhood, and throughout Alameda. This clip was made available to APD and they are investigating it, but the angle of this shot clearly does not allow a read of the license plate number. Perhaps another camera provided that information, as numerous neighbors forwarded their security camera clips to APD.
We hope that you will share this clip with attendants at the meeting, to ensure that the community fully understands this neighborhood’s very real concerns.
Thank you for your service and consideration of this important next step in making Alameda safer and its police department better equipped and more efficient.
Yours,
Michael E. Karp
Managing Director
CA License #01010085
Direct: 510-267-6009
Mobile: 510-813-0113
Fax: 510-465-1350
[email protected]
www.advancedautomotivere.com
555 12th Street, Suite 1400
Oakland, CA 94607 | USA
www.cushmanwakefield.com
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From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] ALPRS
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 10:29:27 AM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [email protected]
Date: Mar 14, 2022 12:43 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] ALPRS
To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:
Mayor and Council Members of Alameda
It's about time after many years of waiting that the ALPRS were finally approved. Lets continue the effort by acquiring enough cameras for all thirteen entrances and exits so I'll be able to sleep soundly at night and maybe turning Alameda from a wild west show into a town like it has been in the past. Winton Hohl Alameda resident
full support of the initial stage of acquiring enough cameras to capture rear license plates coming and going on all 13 of Alameda's auto entrances and exits, are needed.
From: Gig Codiga
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] License Plate Readers - Establish the Right Policy for Effective ALPRs Fixed and Mobile Date: Monday, March 14, 2022 5:52:39 PM
Dear Council Members,
We appreciate the support you gave at the last meeting as to ALPRs, i.e. the approval to establish plate readers at all Alameda entrances and exits.
Alameda will be safer because of your decision.
As the Chief of Police shares and others studies show the installation of these readers are effective and a deterrent.
The policy should not dilute the effectiveness of the fixed nor mobile readers.
The policy should include both mobile and fixed ALPRs for clear understanding and differentiation.
Lastly, the sooner the fix ALPRs are in the improvement in case closures and reduction in crime for your community
Best Regards
Be Well
Gig Codiga
From: Burny
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk; City Attorney
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda Item: 7C ALPR
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2022 5:46:23 PM
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
I strongly request that the City Council vote for and adopt the proposed policy regarding the usage of the ALPR equipment which has been submitted by Chief Joshi and his staff. The specific areas of the policy such as the usage, storage and auditing of the system on a regular basis is pertinent to protecting potential abuse or misuse of this crime fighting equipment.
I do notice that this policy addresses only “fixed ALPR” equipment. With a firm policy already established by the Chief it seems appropriate to provide him the latitude in the future to apply this present policy to include “mobile ALPR” equipment.
On another note, I believe the Council made the correct decision in the hiring of Chief Joshi. He was chosen because of his professional expertise, extensive law enforcement experience, education and his sincere affirmations to manage the Alameda Police Department in an efficient and public manner. Historically, here in Alameda and throughout the state a majority of cities' chiefs of police have the latitude to implement departmental policies without the micro-managing of the city council. Have faith in his professional ability to implement your general direction. He is a true professional leading a professional department and is due Council’s trust and respect.
Burny Matthews
Alameda Police Chief, Retired
From: Bill Garvine
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Trish Spencer; John Knox White; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Eric Levitt; Nishant Joshi; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment Regarding item 7-C on March 15 City Council Agenda Date: Thursday, March 10, 2022 11:57:52 AM
Honorable Mayor Ashcraft and City Councilmembers,
I am offering this communication in complete support of the staff materials and proposed recommendations and policies, as found in Item 7-C of the March 15, 2022 City Council agenda, prepared and submitted by the Alameda Police Department (APD). The item and corresponding support documentation relate to APD's proposed use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) and the corresponding use policies and procedures that would govern and restrict APD's use of this valuable crime prevention and crime fighting technology.
As I have stated previously in council meetings and correspondence, I believe the safety of Alameda residents and businesses is your first and most sacred duty as an elected governor of the city. I also believe, after reviewing the materials, that APD has proposed policies that are respectful of personal privacy, responsible in specifying appropriate uses; prohibitions; data ownership; program administration, and compliance auditing.
Therefore, I respectfully request you adopt the policies, as submitted by APD, as that agency has "expert" status in all aspects of ALPR and has exercised great due diligence in preparing this submission to you and the community. To assuage those with continuing concern regarding ALPR use, data collection and ownership and privacy, etc., I would suggest and encourage you to request that APD submit periodic (bi-annual) reports to the council and the public on the policies' effectiveness and APD's compliance, as well as any suggested modifications it, or you, may have.
Thank you for supporting this initial phase of responsible ALPR use by APD.
Regards, Bill Garvine
2828 Marina Drive
Alameda, CA
From: Andy Murdock
To: City Clerk; Malia Vella; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on Fixed ALPR policy, item 7-C on the March 15, 2022 agenda Date: Friday, March 4, 2022 9:18:58 AM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Vella, and Alameda City Councilmembers, Regarding the draft policy for the use of Fixed Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), item 7-C on the March 15, 2022 agenda, the current draft is a good start but falls short when it comes to auditing the use and efficacy of this technology.
The people of Alameda need to know that their tax dollars are being well spent, and ALPR systems are neither cheap nor clearly effective. If they prove to be ineffective tools for crime prevention or case clearance, if they waste police time, increase potentially dangerous traffic stops, or are otherwise not proving their value, the City Council and the public should be informed. Annual audits should include a public presentation of the efficacy of Alameda's ALPRs and an opportunity to improve the implementation or cancel the service depending on the data.
In addition, because of well-documented abuse of these systems by police departments across the country, the proposed audit procedure is insufficient. True accountability requires independent oversight and full transparency. A review of "at least ten inquiries" presented as "an internal Department memorandum to the Chief of Police" does not come remotely close to meeting the bar. The audit should be comprehensive, performed by someone outside of the APD, and presented to the City Council for review.
A true accounting of the efficacy and real-world use of ALPRs in Alameda will help the Council and APD make informed decisions about the future use of this technology and how best to allocate budget for crime prevention and public safety in Alameda. Please do not approve the policy until it is amended to include these common-sense safeguards.
Thank you for your time!
Andy Murdock – Windsor Drive
[email protected]