License Plate Camera Use Narrowed After Privacy Concerns In This Marin County Town

MILL VALLEY, CA — Following months of public comment questioning automatic license plate reader cameras, Mill Valley officials outlined a series of safeguards and a key policy change regarding Flock Safety systems at the Monday City Council meeting.

Residents have repeatedly urged the city to reconsider its Flock contract, citing recent reporting from Mountain View where an internal audit found that Flock systems had been unintentionally set to allow national data lookups, contrary to local policy.

Flock Safety is a U.S. company based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company specializes in manufacturing and running automated systems for license plate recognition, video surveillance and gunfire location.

Residents warned that ALPR systems can function as a mass surveillance dragnet system that captures information from anyone who goes by them, regardless of whether they're accused of any crime and raised concerns about potential use by immigration authorities.

In response, Vice Mayor Caroline Joachim presented an update from the Police Governance Subcommittee, which includes herself, Councilmember Urban Carmel, City Manager Todd Cusimano, and Police Chief Ignacio Navarro.

Joachim said Mill Valley adopted Flock cameras in February 2025 to address legitimate public safety concerns, including stolen vehicles, suspect vehicles, missing persons, and emergency preparedness, but has kept the deployment deliberately conservative. The city monitors three main ingress/egress points rather than building a citywide grid.

She reported that Mill Valley has opted out of nationwide and statewide lookup tools; conducts ongoing reviews and internal audits to confirm no improper data access; doesn't use facial recognition or AI with its cameras; and has decided to reduce ALPR data retention from seven days to 72 hours.

“There have been no known data breaches involving Mill Valley’s Flock systems,” Joachim said, adding that the system has helped identify vehicles carrying weapons that “could have resulted in a violent crime.”

Joachim publicly acknowledged the residents’ roles in prompting the review.

“It does bring our attention and it does motivate us to revisit policies and to make adjustments, should it be warranted,” Joachim said.