Minutes
Lakewood City Council
Adjourned Regular Meeting held
March 24, 2026
MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER at 6:32 p.m. by Mayor Chase in the Council Chambers at the Civic Center, 5000 Clark Avenue, Lakewood, California.
ROLL CALL:
PRESENT:
Mayor Cassandra Chase
Vice Mayor Jeff Wood
Council Member David Arellano
Council Member Steve Croft
Council Member Todd Rogers
. . .
AGREEMENT WITH FLOCK SAFETY, INC. FOR PILOT PROJECT
City Manager McCormack 1) introduced the item; and 2) provided a PowerPoint presentation detailing information about Flock cameras.
Following brief discussion, Director of Public Safety Yordt 1) provided a PowerPoint presentation of the Agenda report; 2) noted that there was a pricing correction to staff’s recommendation and that the updated recommendation was to a) accept and approve the pilot project specific to the deployment and use of the 59 License Plate Readers (LPR) and 10 video cameras for the initial 12-month term for a cost of $332,600, inclusive of the annual service cost of the LPR and video cameras, 5-year extended LPR retention and one-time first year installation costs of the cameras, and a renewal term of 12-months for the annual service cost of $289,150, inclusive of the annual service cost for 59 LPR and 10 video cameras and the extended 5-year LPR retention; and b) not accept and decline the pilot project specific to the audio detection; and 3) introduced a) Lakewood Sheriff’s Station Captain Daniel Holguin; b) Lakewood Sheriff’s Station Sergeant Gregory Johnson; c) Lakewood Sheriff’s Station Deputy Andy Jones; d) Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Advanced Surveillance and Protection Unit Seargeant David Chi; e) Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Advanced Surveillance and Protection Unit Deputy Kyle Otis; f) Deputy District Attorney Drew Josfan; g) Louis Wershaw, Flock Account Executive; h) Jeff Jordon, Flock Business Relations Manager; and i) Lilly Ho, Flock Public Affairs Manager.
For the record, Business Relations Manager Jordon stated 1) it was a challenge to achieve public safety and balance privacy rights; 2) Automated License Plater Reader (ALPR) cameras have been used for 15 years; 3) Flock has addressed various community concerns by disabling search filters and not sharing data with the federal government or outside of the state; 4) Flock does not have a contract with immigration services; 5) federal judges have ruled that ALPR cameras are not an invasion of privacy; 6) numerous heinous crimes could not have been solved without Flock cameras and have proved the innocence of accused individuals; and 7) Flock cameras are a force multiplier in the City, further stating that it would take 300 additional deputies to replace the number of hours of coverage that the current system provides.
Adjourned City Council Minutes
March 24, 2026
AGREEMENT WITH FLOCK SAFETY, INC. FOR PILOT PROJECT - Continued For the record, City Manager McCormack reported that City staff had received 45 phone calls and emails from the public in opposition of Flock cameras and 27 phone calls and emails from the public in favor of Flock cameras.
For the record and without objection, Mayor Chase recessed the meeting at 7:26 p.m. to begin the Regular Meeting.
For the record, Mayor Chase reconvened the meeting at 7:37 p.m. with all members present.
City Manager McCormack, Public Safey Director Yordt, Seargeant Chi, and Business Relations Manager Jordon responded to questions and comments from the City Council stating that 1) Flock was chosen as a public safety enhancement tool because it used the most up to date technology with more accurate cameras and a vast network; 2) there have been no breaches or misuse of the system since its use began over seven months ago; 3) only specific law enforcement deputies with a need to use the system are permitted access and City staff does not have access; 4) user system audits can be performed at any time to ensure the system was being used according to policy, noting that the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station staff currently perform monthly audits; 5) Flock was able to perform network audits, individual audits, further highlighting that a pattern finding audit would be available soon; 6) changes to improve the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department privacy policy were being made and included additional training for deputies who use the Flock system; 7) the City could terminate the contract if Flock breaches the terms; 8) there were no agreements with any agencies to share Lakewood’s data; 9) there had been no hacking into any Flock system; and 10) deputies who use the system would see a photo of a vehicle, the license plate as read by the camera, and the date/time/location of the photograph.
For the record, 1) Charlie Case; 2) Michael Martinez, 3) Jill Rosenberg; 4) Don Beverly; 5) Maria Nikitina; and 6) Doug Sato addressed the City Council regarding their support for the continuation of the Flock agreement.
For the record, 1) Elena Hodges; 2) Isolde Mourad, 3) Laurel Grzesik-Mourad; 4) Randy Donato; 5) Agman Mourad; 6) Kimberly Esslinger; 7) Mercedes Rigby; 8) Estela Martinez; 9) Irene Wood; 10) Kathy Davis; 11) Court; 12) Kelly Davis; 13) Joey B; 14) Kay Ewing Donato; 15) Jennifer Leighton; 16) Simone Venhardt; 17) Pamela Woody, 18) Vincent Leighton; and 19) Tyler Lewis addressed the City Council regarding their opposition to the continuation of the Flock agreement.
For the record and without objection, Mayor Chase recessed the meeting at 9:20 p.m. for a brief break.
For the record, Mayor Chase reconvened the meeting at 9:32 p.m. with all members present.
Adjourned City Council Minutes
March 24, 2026
AGREEMENT WITH FLOCK SAFETY, INC. FOR PILOT PROJECT - Continued For the record, Jalesia Brown addressed the City Council regarding her support for the continuation of the Flock agreement.
For the record, 1) Maegan Moo; 2) Mathew Mikuri, 3) Laura Caponera; 4) Aletha Vassilakis; 5) Susan Singer; 6) Nancy Wilder; 7) Garren Bell; 8) Stephanie Terronez; 9) Martin Swart; 10) Melissa Pawneshing; and 11) Amanda addressed the City Council regarding their opposition to the continuation of the Flock agreement.
For the record, Council Member Rogers 1) thanked those who addressed the City Council for their comments; 2) stated that his number one priority was to protect Lakewood residents; 3) shared significant crimes that were solved with the aid of Flock cameras; 4) explained that the City could not hire more Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies for at least five years due to deputy shortages; 5) noted that LPR technology had been used in Lakewood for more than 10 years with no concrete examples of data sharing or a person being adversely affected; and 6) stated his support for a 12 month extension of the Flock agreement, further recommending the consideration of an advisory committee consisting of two appointees from each City Council Member, who were preferably on both sides of the Flock issue to a) create transparency; b) review Flock audit and data reports; c) consider the continuation of the Flock agreement before the end of the 12 month extension; and d) recommend a different ALPR vendor if Flock did not meet the City’s standards.
For the record, Council Member Arellano stated that he would like to hear the Flock representative speak to the concerns expressed by the public.
For the record, Council Member Croft 1) thanked those who addressed the City Council for participating in the discussion and sharing their concerns; 2) stated there was no evidence that the City’s ALPR system data was used by or shared with the federal government; 3) noted the responsibility of keeping the community safe was aided by effective investigative tools like Flock to respond to crime; 4) explained that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department currently has 1,400 vacant positions and technology was a necessary tool to help deputies work more efficiently; 5) noted that Flock made documented improvements to past issues; and 6) stated his support of staff’s recommendations, further explaining that the City will continue to monitor Flock to ensure they comply to their commitments and State laws.
For the record, Vice Mayor Wood 1) thanked those who addressed the City Council for their dialogue and passion; 2) noted the importance of privacy and security; 3) shared that the City Council’s number one priority was public safety, further noting that being the victim of a crime was horrific; and 4) asked questions relative to the Flock system and agreement.
Adjourned City Council Minutes
March 24, 2026
AGREEMENT WITH FLOCK SAFETY, INC. FOR PILOT PROJECT - Continued At the request of Council Member Arellano and Vice Mayor Wood, Business Relations Manager Jordon stated 1) Flock’s CEO’s recent comments came from a passion to defend his product; however, they were wrong; 2) civil rights are important and Flock can be used to enhance them, further explaining that in San Diego, Flock cameras were used to enhance the rights and help protect participants during an LGBTQ+ parade; 3) an oversight committee for the Flock contract would be beneficial, noting that other cities have also created an oversight committee; 4) the wording in Section 5.3 of Flock’s standard contract was required to comply with federal law; 5) if Flock received subpoenas for the City of Lakewood’s records, they would provide them to the City for a response because the City owns the data; 6) Flock has a blog that fully addresses many of the incidents brought up in the public’s comments; however, Flock could be more proactive about sharing how they address incidents to their customers; and 7) Flock was committed to working to find a balance between public safety and privacy rights.
Following discussion, at the request of Council Member Arellano, City Manager McCormack explained that the City of Lakewood was not the first city to have a pilot program with Flock, further stating that 23 other cities who contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also have contracts with Flock and are pleased with their product.
For the record, in response to questions and comments provided by Council Member Arellano, Deputy City Attorney Skolnik 1) clarified that a contract would not be signed tonight even if an extension to the pilot project was approved; and 2) stated multiple Council Members shared that they were opposed to an automatic renewal clause, which was standard in Flock’s Master Services Agreement, further stating that if a motion was made to extend the pilot project, it could specifically state that the term was for a fixed time period without an automatic renewal.
In response to questions and comments provided by Council Member Rogers, Account Executive Wershaw stated that Flock agreed to a one-year contract term with no automatic renewal.
For the record, Vice Mayor Wood stated he 1) is in favor of the suggested advisory committee; and 2) would not support an extension of the Flock agreement as some contract questions were still unanswered.
Following lengthy discussion, it was moved by Council Member Rogers, seconded by Council Member Croft, and failed by the following roll call vote, to 1) extend the pilot project with Flock for a one year term; and 2) form an advisory committee with two appointees from each City Council member to meet and confer with the Public Safety Committee over the term’s 12 months on the efficacy of the system and commitment of Flock to comply with the contract requirements:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS – Croft and Rogers
NAYS: COUNCIL MEMBERS – Wood, Arellano, and Mayor Chase Adjourned City Council Minutes
March 24, 2026
AGREEMENT WITH FLOCK SAFETY, INC. FOR PILOT PROJECT – Continued For the record, Council Member Arellano moved to direct staff to continue working through the issues of the Flock agreement and investigate other ALPR opportunities and bring the information back to the City Council for consideration. The motion died for lack of a second.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to be brought before the City Council, Mayor Chase adjourned the meeting at 11:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Isabelle Schultz, CMC
Assistant City Clerk