ORDINANCE NUMBER 1165
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL ADOPTING A SURVEILLANCE USE
POLICY AND IMPACT REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED SAFE HOUSE SECURITY SYSTEM AT THE POLICE
STATION
WHEREAS, the City Council previously enacted the Surveillance Technology and Community Safety Ordinance, codified as Chapter 8.80 of the Sebastopol Municipal Code, to govern the City’s use of surveillance technology; and
WHEREAS, Section 8.80.030 requires the City Council to approve (by ordinance) a surveillance use policy, and Section 8.80.050 requires the City Council to approve a surveillance impact report, before the City uses new surveillance technology or uses existing surveillance technologyfor a purpose, in a manner or in a location not previously approved by the City Council; and WHEREAS, Chapter 8.80 defines “Surveillance technology” broadly to include both advanced technology and video cameras; and
WHEREAS, this Ordinance adopts a surveillance use policy and impact report for the safe house security system at the police station; and
WHEREAS, a draft version of the policy and impact report was presented to the City Council on consent during the November 18, 2025 Council meeting; and
WHEREAS, the policy and report have been made available to the public consistent with the requirements of Sebastopol Municipal Code section 8.80.050; and
WHEREAS, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing to consider the proposed ordinance on April 21, 2026, at which time all interested parties had the opportunity to be heard.
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Recitals. The above recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein by this reference.
SECTION 2. Surveillance Use Policy. The City Council hereby adopts the following surveillance use policy for the safe house security system, or any similar security cameras, at the police station:
1. Purpose. The specific purpose(s) that the surveillance technology item is intended to advance.
The City’s existing surveillance was installed in 1991 and lacks modern recording and retrieval capabilities. The purpose of the new system is to: Protect officers and staff; Ensure the safety of visitors; Secure city owned property; Document incidents for investigations; and Support transparency and accountability
2. Authorized Use. The uses that are authorized, and the rules and processes required prior to such use and uses of the surveillance technology that will be expressly prohibited.
Docusign Envelope ID: B2FBF350-BF5D-80A9-8144-6F943DC7D8C5 The surveillance system shall only be used for deterring crime, law enforcement investigations, and other official City business related to the protection of City assets and personnel. It shall not be used for any individual’s personal use.
3. Data Collection. What types of surveillance data will be collected, captured, recorded, intercepted, or retained by the surveillance technology, what types of data may be inadvertently collected during the authorized uses of the surveillance technology, and what measures will be taken to minimize and delete such data.
The system includes high-definition cameras with night/low-light capability. It will provide coverage of entrances, lobby, exterior grounds, and parking areas. The system records all activity occurring. The system does not include any recognition technology, biometric monitoring, or any other type of advanced technology.
4. Data Access. The category of individuals who can access or use the collected information, how and under what circumstances data collected with surveillance technology can be analyzed and reviewed, and the rules and processes required prior to access or use of the information.
The surveillance system shall only be access or used by individuals authorized by the Chief of Police and/or City Manager for the specific authorized uses identified herein.
5. Data Protection. The general safeguards that protect information from unauthorized access, including encryption and access control mechanisms.
The system includes access control features allowing for restriction of access to only authorized users. The system supports multi-factor authentication, as well as audit logs to reveal what users have accessed the system. Regular audits will ensure only authorized users will have access to the system data.
6. Data Retention. The limited time period, if any, that information collected by the surveillance technology will be routinely retained, the reason such retention period is appropriate to further the purpose(s) enumerated in the surveillance use policy, the process by which the information is regularly deleted after that period lapses, and the specific conditions that must be met to retain information beyond that period.
Recorded video footage will be retained for approximately 90 to 365 days (depending on the camera), after which it will be automatically deleted unless it is required for an investigation, evidentiary purposes, a public records request, or other legal retention requirement. Any footage associated with an incident may be retained longer in accordance with police evidence retention procedures and applicable records laws
7. Public Access. How collected information can be accessed or used by members of the public, including criminal defendants.
The City will not release the footage collected by the surveillance system to any member of the public, except when required by law, lawfully issued subpoena, or judicial warrant.
8. Third-Party Data Sharing. Which governmental agencies, departments, bureaus, divisions, or units may receive data collected by the surveillance technology operated by the City department, including any required justification or legal standard necessary to share that data, and how it will ensure that any entity sharing or receiving such data complies with the surveillance use policy.
Docusign Envelope ID: B2FBF350-BF5D-80A9-8144-6F943DC7D8C5 The City will not release the footage collected by the surveillance system to any other governmental agencies except when required by law, lawfully issued subpoena, or judicial warrant.
9. Training. The training required for any individual authorized to use the surveillance technology or to access information collected by the surveillance technology.
Any individual with access to the surveillance system will be trained on the City’s applicable policies.
10. Auditing and Oversight. The mechanisms to ensure that the surveillance use policy is followed, including internal personnel assigned to ensure compliance with the policy, internal recordkeeping of the use of the technology or access the information collected by the technology, technical measures to monitor for misuse, any independent person or entity with oversight authority, and the legally enforceable sanctions for violations of the policy.
The Chief of Police is responsible for ensuring the surveillance use policy is followed. Individuals who violate relevant policies may be subject to disciplinary action. Any person who believes a violation of the policy has occurred may submit a compliant to the City Manager or Chief of Police. Such complaints may be submitted anonymously.
11. Complaints. What procedures will be put in place by which members of the public can register complaints or concerns, or submit questions about the deployment or use of a specific surveillance technology, and how the municipal entity will ensure each question and complaint is responded to in a timely manner.
Any individual may submit a complaint, concerns, or questions to the City Manager or Chief of Police regarding use of the surveillance system, and may do so anonymously if desired. Such correspondence may be submitted in person or by email. Additionally, formal complaints regarding any member of the Sebastopol Police Department regarding the surveillance system may be submitted through the City’s existing process for formal complaints (and may be submitted in person or by email)
SECTION 3. Surveillance Impact Report. The City Council hereby adopts the following surveillance impact report for the safe house security system, or any security system with the same capabilities, at the police station:
1. Information describing the surveillance technology and how it works, including product descriptions from manufacturers.
The proposed system from SAFE HOUSE Modern Security Systems includes high-definition cameras with night capability and secure network storage. There is no facial recognition or predictive policing capabilities with this system. It is purely designed to be a better quality version of the security system in place at the department now, but with the ability to record.
2. Information on the proposed purpose(s) for the surveillance technology.
To enhance safety for officers, staff, and visitors; deter criminal activity; protect city property; document incidents; and support accountability.
3. If applicable, the location(s) it may be deployed and crime statistics for any location(s).
Deployment at entrances, lobby, outside of the police department and parking lots. The current
Docusign Envelope ID: B2FBF350-BF5D-80A9-8144-6F943DC7D8C5 system does not capture/record and as such cannot provide usable footage, which the new system would address.
4. The fiscal costs for the surveillance technology, including initial purchase, personnel, and other ongoing costs, and any current or potential sources of funding.
The security system has already been approved by the city council and was purchased via the police endowment fund, with no fiscal impact to the city’s general fund. The purchase cost of the system was $46,008.42 and the cost to install is $13,875, totaling $59,883.42.
5. An assessment identifying with specificity any potential adverse impacts the surveillance technology might have on civil liberties and civil rights; and affirmative measures to safeguard the public
Potential impacts: inadvertent recording, misuse of footage. Safeguards: posted signage, restricted access, retention limit (unless deemed to be evidence in a case and will be governed by the retention requirements specific to the type of crime to which it relates).
6. Whether use or maintenance requires third-party handling or storage of data All data stored on city servers; vendors only have supervised temporary access during installation/maintenance.
7. Summary of experience of other governmental entities with the proposed technology Security systems of this nature are standard for police departments, nationwide. Benefits include incident documentation, deterrence, and operational safety.
SECTION 4. CEQA. The City Council finds, pursuant to Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 15378(b)(5), that this ordinance is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in that it is a governmental, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
SECTION 5. Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 6. Effective Date and Publication. This Ordinance shall be and the same is hereby declared to be in full force and effect from and after thirty (30) days after the date of its adoption. Before the expiration of fifteen (15) days after said passage, this ordinance or a summary therefore as provided in California Government Code Section 36933, shall be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation published and circulated in the City of Sebastopol, along with the names of the Council Members voting for or against its passage.
APPROVED FOR WAIVING OF FIRST READING AND INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE at the Regular City Council Meeting of May 5, 2026.
Docusign Envelope ID: B2FBF350-BF5D-80A9-8144-6F943DC7D8C5 VOTE:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
APPROVED: __________________________________
Mayor, Jill McLewis
ATTEST: ________________________________________________ Mary Gourley, Interim City Manager/City Clerk, MMC
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ______________________________________ Alex Mog, City Attorney
Councilmembers Carter, Hinton, Zollman, Vice Mayor Maurer and Mayor McLewis None
None
None
Docusign Envelope ID: B2FBF350-BF5D-80A9-8144-6F943DC7D8C5 RESOLUTION NO. 6757-2026
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL APPROVING A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE FY25/26 BUDGET TO TRANSFER FUNDS FROM THE POLICE ENDOWMENT FUND INTO THE
GENERAL FUND FOR INSTALLATION OF A NEW VIDEO SECURITY SYSTEM FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WHEREAS, the existing video security system at the police department was installed when the construction of the building was completed in 1991; and WHEREAS, the current video security system is antiquated and does not provide any recording or video retrieval capabilities and does not provide any useful value should an incident occur requiring the retrieval of evidence for a criminal investigation or a complaint against a member of the department; and
WHEREAS, the limitations with the current system expose the City to potential liability and expose police department employees and the public to possible risks; and WHEREAS, the City Council previously approved the purchase of the new video security system in June 2025, authorizing $46,008.42 to be transferred from the Police Endowment Fund to reimburse the General Fund for the equipment purchase; and
WHEREAS, installation costs totaling $13,875 were not included in that prior transfer request and are necessary to complete the system upgrade; and
WHEREAS, the request for this budget amendment is to authorize the transfer from the Police Endowment Fund, account number 128-00-00-4999 into the General Fund account number 100-00-00- 3999 to allow for the system installation; and
WHEREAS, the installation of the new video security system will provide the police department, its employees and the public with the same margin of safety that is currently in use with video security systems currently in use at City Hall and Department of Public Works; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of the City of Sebastopol does hereby approve a budget amendment to the FY25/26 approved budget to transfer $13,875 from the Police Endowment Fund into the General Fund to complete the installation of a new video security system for the Sebastopol Police Department building.
The above and foregoing Resolution was duly passed, approved, and adopted at a meeting by the City Council on the 5th day of May 2026 by the following vote:
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Carter, Hinton, Zollman, Vice Mayor Maurer and Mayor McLewis Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
APPROVED: __________________________________________
Docusign Envelope ID: B2FBF350-BF5D-80A9-8144-6F943DC7D8C5 Mayor Jill McLewis
ATTEST: ____________________________________________________________ Mary Gourley, Interim City Manager/City Clerk, MMC
APPROVED AS TO FORM: _______________________________________________ Alex Mog, City Attorney
Docusign Envelope ID: B2FBF350-BF5D-80A9-8144-6F943DC7D8C5