Vallejo’s surveillance advisory board codifies opposition to gunshot detection system

VALLEJO – Vallejo’s surveillance advisory board has codified its opposition to the deployment of 80 to 100 gunshot detection devices.

The board voted 4-2 during a special meeting on Tuesday, with chair Naomi Yun and member Lisa Chen against, to support a resolution recommending that the Vallejo City Council reject an offer from Atlanta-based Flock Safety to pair the devices with automated license plate readers already installed in Vallejo.

Board member Adam Bregenzar was absent.

The vote came nearly two months after the board voted 5-2 to reject the offer from Flock Safety and ordered city staff to return with an official resolution that organized the board’s concerns with the technology. The city council has final authority over acceptance of the devices and will discuss the issue at a future meeting.

Following the vote, Yun said passing on the technology was a missed opportunity.

“We don’t have an opportunity to address gun violence and this technology would have been a good opportunity for that,” she said. “We have a real issue in Vallejo that we need to deal with. This is the type of technology that could help because we’re severely unstaffed in the police section.”

Vice Chair Andrea Sorce disagreed.

“For me, this technology, if anything, is going to further strain staff without necessarily providing a return,” Sorce said. “Hopefully, there is something that can be done on the prevention side and perhaps on the response side that would be a better fit for our department at this time.”

Sorce also pointed to the board’s concerns about a lack of data and metrics regarding the effectiveness of the technology.

“We were very, very concerned and put a lot of thought into the fact that we did not want our department investing their time when they are already so strained into a technology that might not lead to any measurable improvement outcomes,” Sorce said.

The resolution further highlighted concerns over a lack of “clear measures of success versus failure for the proposed beta test of the system,” and the use policy associated with the technology “fails to address the possibility of escalation when officers arrive on scene expecting active shooters after receiving a notification from the system.”

The board said they had concerns about data retention and privacy issues associated with the technology.

Fellow board member Philip Balbuena expressed doubts about deployment of the technology.

“Quite frankly, the Vallejo Police Department is not ready for this type of technology,” he said. “We had several people phone in about shooters on Mare Island this weekend and there was no response.”

When a gunshot is recorded, on-duty officers and the Flock Safety system will review a five-second clip to determine “the likelihood that the information is reliable,” according to the draft policy.

One of the department’s deputy police chiefs will serve as program manager, provide oversight of the devices by reviewing monthly and yearly analysis, be the department’s point of contact for the vendor, and ensure all relevant employees have received training, according to the policy.

“It should be noted that the technology will likely never be 100% accurate,” the policy further states.

Chief Assistant City Attorney Randy Risner said that Police Chief Shawny Williams will recommend the council accept the new technology.

Board changes meeting schedule

The board also voted to change its meeting schedule from bi-monthy to the third Thursday of each month. The change is pending approval by the Vallejo City Council.

The city’s Architectural Heritage & Landmarks Commission also meets at the same time and day, something Chief Assistant City Attorney Randy Risner said shouldn’t be a problem.

“I think the key point here is that there would not be a conflict very often, because the other board that meets on the same day, doesn’t meet that often,” Risner said.

If both the commission and board are scheduled to meet, one would assemble in the council chambers, while another would hold its meeting in the Vallejo Room on the first floor of the John F. Kennedy Public Library located next to city hall.

Vice Chair Andrea Sorce said the move from bi-monthly to monthly meeting would serve the community better.

“There has been a lot of public interest in the activities and workings of this board,” Sorce said. “And I think it’s really important that the board get off to a solid start and I think having a consistent meeting day and time is going to be really important.”

The council created the board last September following a push from the local American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) chapter and Oakland Privacy, as both expressed concerns with a lack of oversight for use of surveillance technology in the city.

The newly created board is tasked with advising the Vallejo City Council on best practices for protecting the privacy, safety, and civil rights of residents when the city chooses to use surveillance technology.

The vote wasn’t unanimous as board member Lisa Chen opposed while fellow board member Michael McMillan abstained.

The board further requested the autonomy to modify its schedule in the future without receiving council approval.