East Bay

Richmond voted 4-3 to reinstate its Flock Safety license plate reader cameras after car thefts jumped 33% following their shutdown last fall. The cameras were killed over fears that ICE could access the data — fears that turned out to be moot, since Flock had already disabled that feature months earlier. The vote was a win, but technicians still need to physically reactivate all 96 units across the city.

Public Safety & Policing Small Business & Regulation

Richmond Cut Its Crime Cameras. Car Thefts Jumped 33%.

March 06, 2026 · 4 min read

The city disabled its license plate readers to virtue signal national issues. Immigrant shopkeepers are paying the price.

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