Rancho Palos Verdes Partners With Security Camera Company

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA — Rancho Palos Verdes is upgrading its security plan with 24-hour wireless cameras designed to capture license plates.

The city announced last week that it has partnered with Flock Safety, a crime-fighting technology company that helps offer neighborhoods affordable access to license plate-reading cameras to enhance public safety.

The company is based in Atlanta and has more than 100 employees, including some across the U.S., Joshua Miller from Flock Safety told Patch. It was founded in 2017 and has partnered with other cities to add these security cameras and systems.

"We have worked with other cities and their unique circumstances to help get neighborhoods and business cameras to keep them safe," Miller told Patch. "We are currently in over 38 states and 1,000 cities across the country and work with cities, police agencies, neighborhoods, and businesses."

The move aims to help local law enforcement gather evidence during investigations, city officials said. Increased surveillance technology can help answer questions about car descriptions and license plate numbers.

"The City of Ranchos Palos Verdes has partnered with Flock Safety, Homeowners associations in Rancho Palos Verdes looking to boost their security measures and assist law enforcement in investigating crimes may apply for grants from the City to cover half the cost of Flock Safety license plate-reading cameras that can be installed at neighborhood entrances," the city said in a news release.

The city is offering this grant program to HOAs citywide following a pilot program in the Oceanfront Estates neighborhood that launched earlier this year.

“We encourage our HOAs to take advantage of this innovative tool to help deter and solve crimes in our community,” said Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor John Cruikshank.

For each HOA that chooses to participate in the program, the City will provide a 50% match for each Flock Safety Camera per year while the program is active. The grant will cover the expense of half the annual camera cost at approved neighborhood entrance locations. An HOA may choose to purchase more than one camera to place in different approved locations.

"The Lomita Sheriff’s Station and a limited number of City staff will have secure access to footage captured on the cameras for investigative purposes only, upon the request of detectives," officials said.

Flock Safety built its first automated license plate recognition camera specifically for neighborhoods, with privacy-first policies. The footage is securely stored in the cloud and automatically deletes every 30 days on a rolling basis. The cameras are not used for traffic enforcement and there is no facial recognition technology.

“We believe everyone has the right to public safety,” said Garrett Langley, CEO of Flock Safety, in a news release. “Our mission is to eliminate crime and be a solution for agencies that want cost-effective tools to solve and deter crimes. We’re looking forward to working with the City of Ranchos Palos Verdes to make the area even safer.”

Flock Safety cameras are solar-powered and come with camera hardware and software, installation, maintenance, cloud storage, cellular connectivity, ongoing software enhancements, unlimited user licenses, hotlist integration and alerts to law enforcement, plus dedicated community affairs and customer support.

The cameras are used by neighborhoods and cities throughout California, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and parts of San Bernardino and Orange counties. Today, Flock Safety cameras provide evidence for more than 400 police agencies to solve crime in 750 cities across the country.

"Flock Safety cameras leverage Vehicle FingerprintTM technology, which identifies the details of any car that passes by it," Miller said.

This includes the make, vehicle type, color, license plate—and whether it's full, partial, or missing, license plate state, and unique features like roof rack, trailer hitch, tinted windows, and more.

"Flock Safety cameras are not used for facial recognition, traffic enforcement or citations for broken tail lights or unpaid fines, and the data is not sold or shared with 3rd parties or entities like ICE and repossession companies," Miller said. "The footage is securely stored in the cloud and automatically deletes every 30 days on a rolling basis."

"Police can use the system for both proactive and reactive crime-fighting," Miller said. "If they receive a hotlist alert, it will be for a stolen car or wanted person in the state and national database. Every search is done by authorized users and is accompanied with a valid search reason. Each hotlist alert is verified and confirmed."

Flock Safety gathers information that can be used by local police to investigate crime and is using that technology to solve up to five crimes per hour, nationwide. Flock Safety is a venture-backed startup based in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit www.flocksafety.com for more information.

Rancho Palos Verdes is home to 42,000 residents and includes 7.5 miles of coastline, a 1,400-acre nature preserve, and hundreds of more acres of open space.

Funding is limited, so participation will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Peninsula residents can submit applications and view a checklist available on the city's website at rpvca.gov/flock.

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