A new batch of 480 car-surveilling security cameras are going up on the streets and highways of Oakland, in Gavin Newsom’s latest effort to crack down on Oakland crime.
It’s a sad and stunning statistic that KTVU dug up this month that the Bay Area now has twice as many freeway shootings as Los Angeles. And a great many of these freeway shootings are happening in Oakland, a number of which have taken the lives of small children.
Governor Gavin Newsom is stepping in with efforts to catch and lock up more of these freeway shooters and other criminals, as the Chronicle reports Newsom is ordering 480 car surveillance cameras to be placed on Oakland streets and highways.
According to KTVU, 290 of these Flock Security cameras will be placed along Oakland surface streets, and 190 more cameras will be placed on East Bay state highways.
480 new high-tech cameras are being installed along freeways and in Oakland to make the area safer.
— California Governor (@CAgovernor) March 29, 2024
These will help law enforcement identify vehicles linked to crimes using real-time information and alerts.
We’re building safer, stronger communities for all Californians. pic.twitter.com/x6kekxUK3e
“This investment marks another step forward in our commitment to bolstering public safety and tackling organized crime and roadway violence in Oakland and across California,” Newsom said in a Friday morning press release. “With the installation of this 480 high-tech camera network, we’re equipping law enforcement with the tools they need to effectively combat criminal activity and hold perpetrators accountable.”
The cameras are similar to the license-plate readers being put up in San Francisco, but according to Newsom’s release, can also track cars “by vehicle type, make, color, license plate state, missing/covered plates, and other unique features (e.g., bumper stickers, decals, and roof racks).”
This is Newsom’s latest effort in his bid to clamp down on Oakland crime, with him having sent more state police officers to Oakland last month, as well as teams of state prosecutors to prosecute crimes in Alameda County.
There are privacy concerns, though, particularly that the data might be used to prosecute people who come from out of state to get abortions. (The Chronicle reported this week that this has already happened.) Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said the data would be stored for only 28 days, and then deleted.
But Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is on board with the new surveillance cameras. “Improving public safety and addressing quality of life issues in Oakland is my top priority,” Thao said in Newsom’s release. “This new camera network will help us stop crime and hold more suspects accountable. On behalf of all Oaklanders, I want to thank the Governor and the California Highway Patrol for their ongoing commitment and investments in the city.”
Image: Flock Safety
