Bay Area Telegraph
$161,000 of High-Tech Surveillance Cameras Are Coming to Walnut Creek
08/28/2025

WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – Walnut Creek has officially green-lit a citywide upgrade to its license-plate-reading camera network, approving a switch to Flock Safety's Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system and an expansion of coverage.

On June 17, 2025, the City Council voted unanimously as part of its consent calendar to authorize a two-year subscription with Flock to replace the City's older Vigilant Solutions cameras.

What the City Approved

According to the staff report, the plan calls for 20+ fixed Flock cameras placed at "strategic locations" around the city plus ALPR units mounted on two existing radar message board trailers.

The total not-to-exceed cost is $161,600 for 24 months, which covers installation, leasing, and the subscription. The City had previously set aside $200,000 in the General Fund for ALPR upgrades. If the program continues beyond two years, staff estimate about $100,000 annually for renewal, subject to future Council approval.

Why Flock—and What It Can Do

Staff said the upgrade improves accuracy and coverage while reducing the number of cameras needed because each unit can monitor multiple lanes.

Flock's system can also read legacy plates, temporary paper tags, and motorcycle plates, which the current system struggles to capture. The platform checks scans against the NCIC "hot list" and local alerts (think stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts, cars tied to active investigations), and every user search requires a written justification that is logged for audits.

Privacy, Data, and Oversight

Per the City's report, ALPR data is automatically purged after 30 days. The proposal was reviewed by the Camera Systems Oversight Committee before it ever reached the Council. California law also restricts how ALPR data can be shared; staff noted state requirements, including prohibitions on use solely for immigration enforcement.

Not everyone is cheering the expansion. In written public comment, a resident supported modernizing existing cameras but objected to expanding the network without more detailed public notice of proposed locations. The Council received and posted those comments as part of the record.

Where Will the Cameras Go?

The City has not published a list of exact sites. What we do know: the installation aims for "comprehensive citywide coverage" across business and residential corridors, and the two mobile trailer units can be deployed to hot spots when needed.

Expect placement at key entries/exits and busy arterials—typical for ALPR deployments—but precise poles and intersections were not included in the public packet.

When to Expect Them

With the June 17 approval in hand, City staff can proceed to installation and activation under the two-year agreement. The minutes reflect the Council's consent-calendar approval, clearing the way for rollout.

The Bigger Picture

Walnut Creek isn't moving in isolation. Across the Bay Area and California, agencies have adopted license plate readers to coordinate regionally—Contra Costa County agencies and neighboring cities already use the system. That broader network effect is one reason cited by staff for the switch.