From: Savio D"Souza
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council Meeting on May 7, 2024 Item # 7D Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 6:13:59 PM
Honorable Mayor, Members of the City Council & City Manager, I’m writing in support of the use of drones to curb sideshows and specifically, critical incident response and enforcement. As an island, it’s important to provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to respond to situations when it’s not practical for a vehicle to approach in a timely manner. As an operator of a Marina, we believe the use of drones would be advantageous in ensuring the safety and security of our island community.
Sincerely,
Savio D’Souza
From: Carol Gottstein
To: Erin Smith; City Clerk; Jennifer Ott
Cc: Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft Subject: [EXTERNAL] May 7, 2024 Regular Agenda Item 7-D: Sideshow Prevention measures Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 2:38:18 PM
RE: Temporary Black Asphalt Curbs.
I am pleased the City is developing a plan to discourage unpermitted sideshows at Alameda Point. However, this item reminded me of a hazard. I had a dental patient [Gladys, RIP] long ago who had to interrupt her dental treatment because, in a fast- food parking lot, she tripped over a black asphalt curb, breaking her arm and sustaining numerous bloody abrasions. She was around age 60 and had diabetes, so her injuries took months to heal. Not unexpectedly, she got a lawyer and sued the fast-food place for damages. I don't know how her case eventually turned out.
Now whenever I see these black-on-black obstacles, I think of her and wonder why they are still used anywhere. People can only avoid an obstacle they can see and know is there.. She did not see one of these black asphalt curbs because it was the same color as the surface she was walking on. Moreover, as we age, our vision, especially peripheral vision, becomes less accurate and chronic diseases like diabetes only exacerbate declining visual acuity. An older pedestrian wearing glasses, perhaps using a cane or not, is at greatest risk from the presence of unexpected obstacles out of their field of vision. Trying to step over them is also a challenge to one's legs and balance.
At the same time, I am reviewing the new draft City ADA Transition Plan which purports to address issues of street safety and access for persons such as I've described. Installing raised black asphalt on top of flat black asphalt seems to be working at cross purposes to the goals of this new document. It creates a new hazard with unforeseen consequences.
Since these curbs are described as "temporary", why not use the temporary pale grey concrete ones, or better, the yellow-painted ones? I am no expert in Public Works, but I have seen many such examples all over the place during my lifetime. I hope cost is not the determining factor at work here. Increased visibility for the sake of safety is certainly worth paying for. Please consider it!
Thank you,
Carol Gottstein
Grand Street resident
Alameda, CA 94501
From: Micah Panama
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: Nishant Joshi
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please address sideshows and dangerous driving in Alameda Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 2:20:17 PM
Dear Alameda City Council Members,
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the ongoing issue of sideshows and dangerous driving in our community. As a resident of Alameda, I have observed an alarming increase in reckless driving behaviors, particularly during weekends at Alameda Point.
Sideshows not only pose a significant threat to public safety but also contribute to noise disturbances and property damage. These events create an environment of fear and anxiety among residents and undermine the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
I urge the City Council to take immediate action to address this pressing issue. Here are some suggestions that I believe could help mitigate the problem:
Increased Law Enforcement Presence: Deploy additional police patrols in areas known for sideshows and reckless driving to deter such activities and enforce traffic laws more effectively.
Enhanced Coordination with Law Enforcement Agencies: Collaborate with neighboring law enforcement agencies to implement joint operations targeting sideshows and dangerous driving behavior across jurisdictional boundaries.
Strengthening Traffic Regulations: Review and update existing ordinances related to street racing, sideshows, and reckless driving to ensure they are comprehensive and enforceable.
Harsher prosecution for sideshow participants: Make it clear that participating in sideshows in Alameda will lead to prosecution to the fullest intent of the law.
It is imperative that we take decisive action to address this issue before it escalates further and leads to serious injuries or fatalities. As elected representatives, I trust that you share my commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all residents in Alameda.
I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to seeing meaningful steps taken to address sideshows and dangerous driving in our community.
Thank you for your leadership and dedication to serving the people of Alameda.
Sincerely,
Micah Panama
From: Tracy Jensen
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Another comment for 7-D
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 2:13:48 PM
Good Afternoon,
I’m writing to the City Counsel to express my support for the use of drones and any other necessary equipment for our police department. I believe the use of these drones will help our officers to protect our community while maintaining a safe environment for our police force as well. Our department is understaffed and while the city is trying to increase the number of officers on our force it’s still far below what it should be.
There is a huge increase in the amount of crime we are seeing in Alameda. I have personally experienced a number of crimes to my residence and cars.
Please provide our police department with the equipment they need to better patrol our community for not only our safety but theirs.
Thank you,
Karin Fox
Eastshore Drive, Alameda
Tracy Jensen
Alameda City Councilmember
voice/text: 510-912-5556
From: Natasha DeCourcy
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Tonight"s meeting
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 12:30:18 PM
Greetings,
I cannot be at tonight's meeting. However, I wanted the council to know that I am writing in support of the request of the Alameda PD to have drones or other resources to deal with crime in Alameda. We have had two cars stolen from in front of our home in the last 12 months.
There is a huge increase in crime here and I no longer feel safe by myself, especially any time after dark. It feels really scary here all of a sudden and we have many kids and we let them walk around town because they are teens but I worry they will be confronted by someone engaged in a crime and I am afraid that anyone could be attacked, day or night.
We need more of a police presence and we need other solutions.
Thank you, Natasha DeCourcy
(415) 518-8480
From: Diana Gibson Pace
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on agenda item for this evening’s City Council meeting Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 10:51:39 AM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Council Members,
I am unable to attend the meeting tonight because of a work commitment, and wanted to offer my opinion about the agenda item regarding Alameda Police.
I am writing in strong support to the request of the Alameda Police Department to have drones and other tools and resources to combat crime and lawlessness in Alameda. I have lived here for 23 years and am seeing a sharp increase in crime, including crime that has affected me and my family personally.
As a single, working parent, I count on my city and my police force to keep us safe, and we no longer feel safe. We need more police, more, and more efficient, surveillance tools and more response to the community. There is truly a feeling of lawlessness, and we need to be able to deploy technology (like drones) to supplement our understaffed police force. The drones are a humane and safe way to reduce crime. I am also in favor of fully staffing the police force.
Thank you,
Diana G. Gibson Pace
Sent from my iPad
From: RUSSELL GIUNTINI
To: City Clerk; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: Nishant Joshi
Subject: [EXTERNAL] In support of Agenda item 7-D
Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 9:51:50 AM
Honorable Mayor Ashcraft and Council members,
I am writing in support of agenda item 7-D for the purchase and use of drones in order to safely police unpermitted side Side Show events that all too often result in property damage and serious bodily injury to participants as well as observers. As we all know these events are difficult to police at best, given the large number of participants involved such that traditional policing strategies often times put our officers in harms way. Drone technology offers an opportunity to identify the Side Show participants while minimizing the likelihood of a confrontation between the police and the participants. The information obtained will allow for the successful prosecution of the cases generated by the Side Show activity and deter future unpermitted Side Shows.
Moreover, drone technology has a whole host of other critical incident benefits including assisting in the apprehension of barricaded or fleeing suspects as well as being an aid to monitor natural disasters so first responders can be strategically directed as needed.
In short, we have to be smart about public safety and that means not turning a blind eye to the use of minimally invasive technologies that make us safer and better prepared for natural disasters. Drone technology meets that mandate.
Russ Giuntini
From: Mahesh Nair
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: Nishant Joshi
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please stop sideshows in Alameda
Date: Monday, May 6, 2024 11:36:17 PM
Hello Alameda City leaders,
I am writing to you today to please empower our local police department with all the tools they need to stop and arrest those who organize, engage, or participate in the sideshows that have happened in Alameda.
1.) Please use tools like drones to identify the vehicles, drivers, and crowd involved
2.) Impound these cars.
3.) Add extra citations for other obvious illegal modifications on the cars. In short, make it extremely expensive to get the cars back and let the organizers know they are not welcome in Alameda.
For me, this is personal. I was driving my 3 year old son from his soccer class at SoFive one day when a pickup truck leaving the sideshow ran a stop sign and almost hit us. I cannot tell you how angry I was. Living in Alameda Point, it is just a matter of time before someone gets hurt. Our local daycare had some property damage, we have Ring videos of cars speeding, and one of my neighbors told me he was threatened by a driver when yelling at him to slow down.
People (esp those privileged enough not to live next door to sideshows) will bring up privacy concerns, but the government can put controls and checks for any new technology and the data it stores. Public safety should be the number one concern of the city council.
On top of the safety concerns, this is also a quality of life issue. We did not move and buy a home in Alameda Point to have our weekend afternoons ruined by the sound of screeching tires and loud music. The majority of these Fast and Furious wannabes are not Alameda city residents. They also cause a lot of traffic, as the Webster/Posey tube is backed up. This is not like the antique show. There is no benefit allowing these reckless drivers on our island. People should be sternly reminded that driving is a privilege, not a right.
Thank you for your consideration and time,
Mahesh Nair
650-761-1869
From: Tracy Jensen
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: I would like to submit my support for APD to have drones Date: Monday, May 6, 2024 9:42:07 PM
Hi Lara,
Please see the letter below with a request from sender that the comments be included in the agenda packet.
Thanks ~ Tracy
From: JON HAMILTON <[email protected]>
Date: May 6, 2024 at 7:45:37 PM PDT
To: Tracy Jensen
Cc: Michael Robles Wong
Subject: I would like to submit my support for APD to have drones
Tracy:
I have spoken to Michael Robles-Wong about the idea of having a couple of drones that can be owned and operated by the Alameda Police Department for monitoring situations of large crowds, difficult situations, or dangerous standoffs. I fully support the purchase and use of the drones and expect that there will be usage regulations developed which are entirely reasonable.
Considering the cost of an event gone wrong lawsuit - having knowledge and camera footage may go a long way towards both minimizing a bad outcome due to lack of situational awareness. In addition, possibly minimizing any future losses due to an unjust lawsuit against police.
Please add this email/citizen comment to those presented at the May 7th Alameda City council meeting.
Thank you,
Jon Hamilton
Bay Farm
From: Nishant Joshi
To: Jennifer Ott; Lara Weisiger; Yibin Shen
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Statement in support for APD"s use of drones for fighting side shows Date: Monday, May 6, 2024 7:01:14 PM
Nishant Joshi
Chief of Police
Alameda Police Department
510-337-8300
Begin forwarded message:
From: abhishek jain <[email protected]>
Date: May 6, 2024 at 6:50:23 PM PDT
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>, Yibin Shen <[email protected]>, Trish Spencer <[email protected]> Cc: Nishant Joshi <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Statement in support for APD's use of drones for fighting side shows
Hello Mayor Marilyn and members of the city council.
As you might be aware because of my previous emails, I live on the West end of the island, on 5th street, in Alameda. We often take the ferry into the city and have started noticing a worrying trend of tire marks, fallen lamp posts, destroyed public property, etc near the terminal. Most of these can be attributed to the regular sideshows that happen near the base. Generally, people participating in these side shows often run red lights and speed through narrow streets, making the roads dangerous for vehicle occupants and pedestrians alike. Sometimes, these sideshows generally happen at night, vehicles that participate in these sideshows go through quiet neighborhoods on the way to the naval base, making a lot of noise and waking up people in these neighborhoods. Lastly, similar events in Oakland often turn violent and I would not be surprised if that happens at some point on the island as well.
Hence I write this email to show my full support for Police chief Joshi’s and APD’s request to use drones and any other resources that they might need, to help reduce this illegal activity and make Alameda an even better place to live. Also, I will try my level best to make it to the city’s council meeting to support measure 7D, if I remember correctly, that relates to this particular request from APD.
Please let me know if I can be of any help
Thank you for being amazing APD and police chief Joshi. My family could not have asked for a better police force.
Thanks and regards,
Abhishek Jain
From: Burny
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: City Clerk; Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] APD/Purchase of Drones
Date: Monday, May 6, 2024 6:50:58 PM
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
I write this letter to support the purchase and ultimate use of a drone(s) to enhance the capabilities of our Police Department in the many situations that call for their service. To me, the purchase of these drones is simply another tool which can be used to serve and protect the citizens of our community. Technology can be a good thing and in this case I truly believe it is.
The proposed general order governing the use of the drone appears to be tight and strict in authorizing implementation of its use. The chief of police who is known for his professionalism as well as his attention to detail has in my opinion authored a complete and competent manual for the drone’s use.
We are fortunate to have a professionally run police department. I would request that we give the men and women of the APD the tools to effectively provide what they do on a daily basis.
Burny Matthews
Retired Alameda Chief of Police
From: Nishant Joshi
To: Jennifer Ott; Lara Weisiger; Yibin Shen
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Council Meeting May 7, 2024 Agenda 7-D 2024-3984 Attachment Exhibit 3: Drone Specifications
Date: Monday, May 6, 2024 6:33:36 PM
Nishant Joshi
Chief of Police
Alameda Police Department
510-337-8300
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 6, 2024 6:25 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]> Cc: Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Tracy Jensen <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Council Meeting May 7, 2024 Agenda 7-D 2024-3984 Attachment Exhibit 3: Drone Specifications
To Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, Council Members Jensen, Herrera-Spencer and Vella.
My name is Frank I Alliger and I reside at 3038 Thompson Avenue and have lived on the island since 1977. I am also retired from the Oakland Police Department after 32 years of service.
As the Manager of the Identification Division, one of the activities I created and directed was the Mobile Field Force Video Teams deployed for crowd control and special operations on holidays involving sideshows in Oakland. The use of video was essential in providing documentation, gathering evidence and real time information of activities both at crowd level and from elevated locations. The advent of the deployment of drones to accomplish these tasks is a game changer. The information available from use of drones enables the operator to observe and document from the air directly to the command post. It not only provides comprehensive information in evidence gathering, it also provides the scene commander with real time information of crowd size, vehicles involved. The drone also offers mobility not afforded by teams on the ground. Drones in addition to video capture and real time information also have the capacity for auxiliary applications using thermal imaging, deployment of light payloads as well as being utilized for night time operations.
One of the added benefits of acquiring drones for the department’s use is increased officer safety, not having to place personnel in hazardous situations, whether during crowd control, sideshows or catastrophic event like a fire or water situation. Drones provide law enforcement with many solutions usually only accomplished by helicopter, at a substantial savings. They are a necessary tool in contemporary law enforcement and would greatly assist our police department personnel with the tools needed to ensure improved safety of our community.
I would like to endorse the acquisition and deployment of drones by our police department.
Respectfully,
fIA
Frank I Alliger
Alameda, CA
From: Madlen
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Council meeting May 7, agenda item 7-D Date: Monday, May 6, 2024 3:41:07 PM
Attachments: image001.png
Sideshows support letter - Google Docs.pdf
Honorable Mayor and councilmembers,
Please see the attached letter sharing our support for the recommendations.
I appreciate your consideration.
Madlen Saddik
President & CEO
o:510.522.0414 | m:650.954.0848
w: alamedachamber.com
e: [email protected]
Click here to find me on LinkedIn
Click Here to Schedule a Meeting With Me
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
May 6, 2024
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council Members;
The scourge of sideshows in Alameda has reached a cri cal juncture, disrup ng the lives of residents, jeopardizing local businesses, and tarnishing the experience of our valued visitors. To combat this menace effec vely, we must adopt a comprehensive approach that leaves no stone unturned.
As such, it is necessary to clarify the city’s official approach involving all departments of the city, especially public works, with business partners suppor ng physical changes and improvements to the streets to ensure the impact on businesses.
The Alameda Chamber advocates using drones to prevent and enforce unpermi ed sideshow and car show events at Alameda Point, which is the purpose of using drones for cri cal incident response and enforcement purposes.
Under the leadership of Chief Joshi, we have full confidence in the Alameda Police Department's ability to u lize drones safely and responsibly for law enforcement purposes. This technological advancement aligns with our shared goal of ensuring the safety and well-being of our community.
Let us stand united in our resolve to combat sideshows and uphold the sanc ty of our city. The me for ac on is now, and together, we can reclaim our streets and preserve the vibrant essence of Alameda for genera ons to come.
We appreciate your considera on.
Gratefully ,
Madlen Saddik
Madlen Saddik
CEO/President
Alameda Chamber & Economic Alliance
From: Trish Spencer
To: City Clerk; Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] UAV/Drone Policy (Item 7-D, Exhibit 4) Date: Monday, May 6, 2024 10:17:17 AM
Attachments: Alameda UAV 5-5-24.pdf
From: Brian Hofer <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, May 5, 2024 4:44:47 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; Nishant Joshi <[email protected]>
Cc: Sameena Usman <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] UAV/Drone Policy (Item 7-D, Exhibit 4) Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
Please see our attached letter regarding a proposal by Alameda PD to use UAV.
Brian Hofer
Executive Director
----------------------------------------------
Cell: (510) 303-2871
Twitter personal: @b_haddy
Twitter org: @SecureJustice
Mastodon org: @[email protected]
Tik Tok org: @secure.justice
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
secure-justice.org
Hofer bio
Donate to Secure Justice
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May 5, 2024 VIA EMAIL ONLY Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft ([email protected]) Vice Mayor Tony Daysog ([email protected]) Tracy Jensen ([email protected]) Malia Vella ([email protected]) Trisha Herrera Spencer ([email protected]) Alameda City Council Alameda City Hall 2263 Santa Clara Avenue Alameda, CA 94501 Re: UAV/Drone Use Policy (Item 7-D, Exhibit 4) Dear Mayor Ashcraft and City Councilmembers: I write to comment on Item 7-D, pertaining to Alameda’s potential use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones (“UAV”). Although Secure Justice as an entity does not endorse expanded use of surveillance technology, we routinely review 100s of draft use policies for surveillance technology proposed by municipalities across the country, to encourage cities like Alameda to enact appropriate civil liberties and privacy protecting guardrails to minimize the potential invasiveness and harm that can arise from the use of such technology, and/or the data it collects. We believe that Oakland’s UAV policy is the gold standard at present. We can comfortably state that the proposed UAV policy crafted by your police department closely tracks Oakland’s, which has heavily influenced some of your neighbors like Hayward and the Alameda County Sheriff, and to our knowledge, an additional ten jurisdictions in other parts of California. Should you enact this policy, Alameda will be among the best in class as to the rules governing UAV use. Having reviewed Oakland’s UAV annual reports the past few years, we believe that UAV may be the best de-escalation tool in municipal law enforcement use today. In Oakland, the use of controversial (and lawsuit heavy) K9’s has evaporated. Likewise, officer-involved-shootings, injury to hostages, and suicide-by-cop have all but disappeared as Oakland began relying more on UAVs in high-risk searches and active shooter or hostage situations.
Alameda City Council Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) May 5, 2022 We appreciate that Chief Joshi proactively reached out to Secure Justice to review his proposed draft, understanding that we possess the necessary expertise and awareness of best practices to evaluate the proposed UAV policy. Although Oakland’s policy is more privacy aggressive when it comes to retention of data (5 days, vs. 30), most other jurisdictions that were influenced by Oakland also landed on 30 days for retention of data, unless such data has been tagged as evidence which would then be governed by evidentiary rules. The remainder of Chief Joshi’s proposed policy mirrors Oakland’s with specific authorized uses that have a public safety utility and do not target First Amendment protected activities, a clear chain of command for approval of use, and an express prohibition on weaponization and facial recognition. We are comfortable that if use adheres strictly to the policy, civil liberties and privacy will be adequately safeguarded. As AB 481 requires a publicly available annual report for UAV use, which must provide efficacy metrics and audits among other information, the City Council and general public will be able to ascertain whether the UAV is being used responsibly and for the betterment of Alamedans. We appreciate the opportunity to review your proposed policy. Sincerely, Brian Hofer Executive Director (510) 303-2871 [email protected] https://secure-justice.org/ San Francisco Bay Area, CA cc Chief Joshi ([email protected])
From: Cyndy Johnsen
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk; [email protected]; Jennifer Ott Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments for Item 7-D
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024 1:40:22 PM
Attachments: 5_7_2024 CC 7D Comments_Sideshows.pdf
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft and Members of the City Council, Please see our comments regarding Item 7-D (Sideshows), attached.
Thank you in advance for your consideration,
Bike Walk Alameda
Board of Directors
Denyse Trepanier
President
Brian Fowler
Treasurer
Tim Beloney
Secretary
Cyndy Johnsen
Board Member
Maria Piper
Board Member
Lucy Gigli
Founder, non-voting
May 4, 2024
RE: Item 7-D: Sideshows
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft and Members of the City Council, We support the preventative measures that are being implemented to discourage sideshows at Alameda Point. They will go a long way towards improving community safety, quality of life, and the environment, while also reducing service and fiscal impacts related to our City’s response efforts.
We do not support pursuing drones at this time, however, because we’re concerned doing so will be contentious, time-consuming, and distract from unmet traffic enforcement needs throughout Alameda. We’re experiencing an epidemic of dangerous driving behaviors on our streets, and note that traffic violation citations are still at historic lows — a fraction of what they were for years before the pandemic . Our preference is for APD to focus on enforcing 1 traffic safety laws throughout Alameda instead of expending resources on a drone program. The tools described in the first part of this Item may well be sufficient in preventing sideshows at Alameda Point.
We also agree with this post from the Morning Bun that the urgency, resourcing, and ‘hard’ design treatments being deployed to prevent sideshows at the Point should be applied to dangerous streets throughout Alameda.
While it’s good to finally see the improvements for the intersection at Lincoln and Walnut on the consent calendar , Fred Zehnder was killed by a driver at this intersection almost three years ago . It should not take this long. We urge you to keep this in mind during the mid-year budget cycle discussions when you consider additional staff resourcing.
Thank you for your consideration.
Bike Walk Alameda
1 https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/finance/alameda-acfr-fy20-city-fs-reduced-size.pdf (page 202), and https://alamedaca.opengov.com/data/#/29521/query=D31EC2392F05A423F60D4F776857DF13&embed=n
From: michael robleswong
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Open letter to the Mayor and City Council: APD Drones Date: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 12:34:06 PM
Attachments: MRW APD drone request 2024.pdf
Hi Laura,
Attached is a letter addressing the Council consideration on May 7th for the request to purchase drones. Thank you,
Michael Robles-Wong
May 1, 2024
Dear Honorables Mayor Ashcraft and CouncilMembers,
This is to register my support of a proposal to permit the Police Department to purchase one or more drones ostensibly to record “side shows” that brazenly have taken a foothold mostly at Alameda Point. While such activity seems more entertainment than violent acts against our community, I feel these repeated and growing public acts of flaunting lawlessness, invite more serious criminal acts by others into our town when there does not seem to be any APD repercussion for the participants. And, we have seen reports of injuries and property damage associated with these shows.
My understanding is that recordings can be used as an investigative tool to track down and prosecute the perpetrators. More importantly, the presence of this hi-tech equipment is a soft way to deter future shows, as compared to either physically corralling and arresting the participants, or equally dangerous to our personnel, sending in undercover officers to film the ongoings.
Other than filming “side shows” from above, I can see the use of such equipment in other fairly limited circumstances involving life and limb:
Monitoring of a natural disaster such as a flood, fire or earthquake where such an immediate vantage point could be used to direct first responders to help evacuate or provide emergency assistance in a wide area that cannot be seen by a few personnel on the ground.
Monitoring of a large gathering of people where there may be known security concerns, such as at a parade, street fair, demonstration, etc.
Monitoring of nearby bodies of water where reportedly someone in the water may need help.
Surveillance of a building or buildings where there is an armed barricaded subject.
Surveillance of a (law enforcement surrounded) block where there is an ongoing search for an armed felon.
Initiation for the use of this equipment should be limited to these circumstances and approved for use by the watch commander.
Sincerely,
Michael Robles-Wong
Bayfarm Resident
From: Kaitlin Alcontin
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: Sarah Henry; Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] APD Annual Military Equipment Report Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:19:34 PM
Dear Alameda City Councilmembers and City Manager's Office, I am an Alameda resident writing to express my opposition to the Alameda Police Department's intent to obtain additional military equipment including police drones and a mobile command vehicle as stated in its Annual Military Equipment Report. Pursuant to AB 481, the City Council should not approve the use of more military equipment here, especially drones.
I am sending this email after exiting the West End Library, which hosted the community meeting on this topic. I did not enter the library intending to attend the meeting but happened to be present studying when I heard an APD officer characterize such equipment as necessary to combat robbery and became concerned. I did not feel safe speaking up in the library because I had seen staff threaten to expel a patron for calmly objecting to another's use of homophobic slurs earlier today and was accordingly unsure of what constituted disrupting the peace. Instead, I will share my thoughts here, and encourage the City to hold further meetings between now and May 21st in a more formalized setting or session accessible via Zoom.
The purpose of AB 481, as stated in Section 1A, is to address the adverse impacts of police departments acquiring military equipment, including harms to physical and psychological well-being which are experienced most acutely in low-income Black and Brown communities.
As a low-income Alamedan of color who has been watching militarized police forces mobilize against peaceful college demonstrations nationwide for the past week, I can assure you that keeping additional military equipment away from APD is paramount to the psychological well-being of POC in Alameda.
I've been an Alamedan for 17 years, a west-side resident for 13 of those. I don't go near South Shore anymore since APD killed Mario Gonzales three years ago. If APD can't handle an unarmed 26-year-old without applying lethal force that gives rise to involuntary manslaughter charges, then they should not be entrusted with more military equipment. Alameda is meant to be a place where "everyone belongs" but I've had Black and Brown peers telling me that they feel unsafe on Park Street for over a decade now, and, after today, I don't even know if I'll be going to the library anymore. Further military equipment such as drones will do nothing to counter the issue of law enforcement being seen as an "occupying force" which AB 481 aims to address.
Cal. Gov. Code 7071(d)(1) states that a governing body should not give approval to a military equipment use policy under AB 481 unless "the military equipment is necessary because there is no reasonable alternative" and it will "safeguard the public's welfare, safety, civil rights, and civil liberties." APD has not met its burden to show that military equipment is the only reasonable method of achieving officer and civilian safety. Furthermore, drone surveillance comes with a slew of civil rights and civil liberties concerns.
Thank you for your time.
Best,
--
Kaitlin Alcontin